A new online exchange aims to help investors who own shares in private companies or units in property, farm or forestry syndicates to trade them more easily.

Investment bank says there is a 25 to 30 per cent risk of New Zealand's economy going into recession in the next 12 months.

DairyNZ chairman John Luxton says it some TPP players are seeking to maintain trade protection rather than reduce it.

Farmers were given cause for cautious optimism after global dairy auction prices rallied by almost 15 per cent, ending a 10-sale losing streak.

Wholemilk powder prices rallied by 19.1 per cent at this morning's GlobalDairyTrade auction.

I like to see the glass half full, and I have the facts to back that view. If you still want to see the glass half empty - you're the loser, writes Mike Hosking.

Finance Minister Bill English won't rule out state farming company Landcorp having to sell more farms than usual to ensure it is not too loaded with debt.

Fonterra's forecast of a 2 per cent fall in milk production this season is looking more conservative by the day as farmers cull stock.

Support for the drought-affected eastern South Island has been extended, and an extra $100,000 has been granted to help struggling farmers.

In light of the stress the dairy industry is under right now, they really do need to take the longer-term view that they say they are taking, writes Brian Fallow.

Finance Minister Bill English remains confident about the prospects for economic growth, despite recent dairy woes.

Fonterra says it is significantly reducing the amount of product it puts up for sale on the GlobalDairyTrade auction platform over the next 12 months.

British farmers held an emergency summit this week, amid warnings that many are facing financial ruin because of plunging milk and meat prices.

Milk powder prices will need to improve substantially before Fonterra's revised farmgate milk price of $3.85 per kg of milk solids can become a reality, say analysts.

Failed Crafar farms bidder and fraud case defendant May Wang has failed to bar Hong Kong prosecutors from accessing seized documents.

$4.55 swing in forecast milk price paid to farmers over two seasons shows there's something wrong with NZ's dairy model, says Landcorp Farming CEO Steve Carden.

The country's biggest exporter has lowered its price from a previous forecast of $5.25 following sharp falls in whole milk powder prices.

Fonterra is expected to announce a sharp reduction in its farmgate milk price today.

Dairy farm prices are likely to fall this spring as the sector faces the prospect of two successive years of sub-par payouts, says the ANZ Bank

DairyNZ says New Zealand milk production is expected to fall by 2 or 3 per cent this season as farmers focus on improving the efficiency of their farming systems.

Whole milk powder prices have dropped to their lowest level since 2008, putting more downward pressure on Fonterra's farmgate milk price forecast and reinforcing the market view that the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates twice this year to partly compe

Whole milk powder prices - key to determining Fonterra's farmgate mik price, dropped by 10.3 per cent overnight.

The ANZ Commodity Price Index for July fell 11.2 per cent to the lowest level since October 2009.

Cow effluent charges against two Marlborough farmers have been proven.

Fonterra's board will meet on Friday to review the farmgate milk price.

Farmers are being urged to brace for some extreme weather this summer, with forecasters warning an unwelcome El Nino system will still be messing with our climate in January.

As milk prices fall, farmers keep waiting for the cycle to turn. But what if Fonterra's problems are longer term, asks Jamie Gray.

Is Fonterra on the right track? Or is it time for Plan B? Plan B would result in the company being split into a basic commodity player focused on growing the milk price.

The story of Harry Meijer and his flying fox has been viewed more than 164,000 times on the New Zealand Herald's Facebook page.