Whole milk powder prices, which are the key to determining Fonterra's farmgate milk price, rose by 12.1 per cent to an average US$2078 a tonne.

Fonterra's move to cut the amount it sells on its global dairy auction appears to have worked.

New Zealand's terms of trade unexpectedly rose in the second quarter as a slide of almost 10 per cent in the Kiwi dollar helped lift prices of exports such as dairy products.

More than half of New Zealanders appear to have made up their minds already about whether the Trans Pacific Partnership is a good or bad thing.

New Zealand is prepared to fight for "the principles of trade" in its beef battle with Indonesia, says our ambassador to the Southeast Asian nation.

The country's trade deficit was smaller than expected in July as exports of fruit and meat drove overseas sales higher.

Australian steel products group Bluescope is to review its steelmaking operations in Australia and New Zealand, saying it needs "game-changing" savings in operating costs.

Trade Minister Tim Groser says Southeast Asia is New Zealand's "number one insurance policy".

Seeka Kiwifruit Industries's profit gains reflected record kiwifruit volumes, the company said.

The true extent of swamp kauri being sent overseas has been revealed - with exports jumping by more than 2500 per cent in five years.

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

Solid Energy acting chairman Andy Coupe admitted it was "unlikely" that any sale, or sales, would cover its outstanding debt.

Our senior business leaders are becoming increasingly concerned about the slowing economy, the Government's strategy and our reliance on China and dairy exports.

Fonterra lacks people who understand the impact of new and disruptive technologies, writes Keith Woodford.

The US beef cow herd is expected to grow by more than three million head in the next three to five years.

The protest group set up to halt wharf extensions is upset at being excluded from a study into the wider impact of the ports on the city.

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 retreat in export commodity prices turned into a rout last month. ANZ's commodity price index fell 11.2 per cent, its steepest monthly decline, to a six-year low.

In as little as seven days, you could have 19 litres of award-winning homebrew beer - a successful invention which has allowed homebrew kit company WilliamsWarn to eye up the global market.

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

Mr Key said Solid Energy had $300 million of outstanding debt and was in a "precarious position".

Our fruit trade has become a heavy hitter as an export, helping to at least partly offset weakness in the dairy and forest products sectors.

Concentrating on marketing its cuts rather than processing them is paying dividends for a niche meat exporter.

Germany is the largest export market for New Zealand onions, followed by Indonesia and Japan.

Open Country has told its farmers that their forecast payout has been cut back due to slumping world dairy prices.

Editorial: The resource is not being used as it should be, and stricter policing of the current trade will not, in itself, change that markedly.