New Zealand tourism businesses and manufacturers that export to Australia are expected to be the winners from a strengthening Australian dollar.

Simon Botherway, accused of a conflict of interest in the Hubbard case, had no operational role in putting him into statutory management, says the Securities Commission.

Mergers and acquisitions dominated activity on Wall St, with almost US$10 billion of deals announced as the S & P 500 Index held near a four-month high.

After leaving Christchurch's Xavier College at 16 Eric Watson's first job was as a butcher's apprentice. He later became a sales and branch manager at Whitcoulls, then a manager at Xerox, before beginning a business career.

After the Hanover debacle, Eric Watson might have hoped for a big win with his latest venture in the US. So far, it isn't working out that way, reports Denise McNabb.