Wilmar International and First Pacific Co have sweetened their takeover bid for Goodman Fielder by A$100 million, but won't go any higher without a rival offer.

Shares in Goodman Fielder have been halted while it contemplates a takeover offer, just over a fortnight after receiving a A$1.27b bid.

Fighting is big business, and the king of the mixed martial arts hill is coming to NZ. So how did barely legal brutality become one of the world's fastest-growing sports?

Tracey Topp is the founder of online merino clothing retailer Cosy Toes

Over a century ago New Zealanders were among the boldest, most productive risk-takers in the world. For example we pioneered refrigerated exports and changed the way the world eats.

An improving economy and a massive reduction in bad loans helped Westpac New Zealand post a record half-year profit.

Australian housing construction approvals have dipped in the past couple of months, but are still at 19-year highs.

First-home buyers in Auckland pay almost $200 more a week in mortgage repayments than those starting on the property ladder nationally.

Former chairman Rob Campbell says the local market is ripe for the kind of shareholder activism it was once renowned for.