The tourism industry wants to outperform Government forecasts to cement its position as one of New Zealand's biggest export sectors.

New Zealanders are evenly divided about whether farmers are moving quickly enough to reduce their impact on the environment, a Herald DigiPoll survey shows.

Here we are again, hearts in our mouths, as we watch an international commodity slump knock the shine off New Zealand's economic recovery.

It’s our number one export and the backbone of our economy. But has the dramatic growth of the dairy industry come at too high a cost for our streams and rivers?

Russia's decision to play hardball with Western food producers could not have come at a worse time for the New Zealand dairy sector as the season starts to get into full swing.

While dairy product prices are falling, the same cannot be said for mutton and beef prices.

Dairy farmers in this country can expect to come under financial pressure if milk powder prices remain low and tensions in Europe continue to mount, say economists.

Federated Farmers is questioning the need for a National Party proposal for a compulsory ban on dairy cattle from all waterways.

New Zealand's terms of trade held at a 40-year high in the second quarter, as a high New Zealand dollar pushed down the price of imports, offsetting a decline in exports.

Allied Farmers, which is rebuilding from a disastrous takeover of the Hanover and United Finance loan books has returned to profit.

Fonterra is pinning its hopes on a tie-up with Chinese infant formula giant Beingmate as it pushes into China's lucrative baby milk market.

Westland Milk Products, the Hokitika-based dairy cooperative, has overtaken rival Fonterra in cutting its forecast payout to farmers.

National is trying to position itself as the only party which will deliver major free trade agreements, saying that Labour's trade policies will be scuppered by any potential coalition partners.

Fonterra says it plans to spend about $1.17 bon taking a 20 per cent stake in China's Beingmate Baby & Child to boost its baby formula aspirations there.

Falling prices for dairy and forest product exports drove the trade balance into the red last month.

Peter Lyons writes: It is important that the team in charge of the economy is paddling in the right direction.

The New Zealand dollar took a sudden and unexplained dip in early trading yesterday, fuelling speculation that the Reserve Bank may have chosen to exploit thin trading conditions.

New Zealand wool prices have risen over the last few weeks and have performed strongly over the last year because of a wool shortage, ASB Bank said in the latest issue of its Commodities Weekly.

New Zealand wine has established itself as a major commodity after exports increased by 10 per cent in volume and value to a record $1.33 billion in the year to June

Log export trade helped offset a 10 per cent decline in Port of Tauranga's container business, allowing the company to report a record underlying profit of $78.3 million for the June year.

New Zealand wine exports increased by 10 per cent in both volume and value to a record $1.33 billion in the year to June.

The Port of Tauranga said its underlying group net profit rose by 1.3 per cent to a record $78.3m thanks to an increase in bulk cargo.

Every year around 30 per cent of crops worldwide are destroyed by pests and diseases, but scientists from three New Zealand universities have teamed up to develop a product that will enable farmers to detect diseases much earlier.

Dairy prices showed signs of stabilising overnight, with the GlobalDairyTrade main price index slipping by just 0.6 per cent.

Export demand for New Zealand craft beer is expected to triple over the next decade as Asian consumers develop a taste for boutique brews.

Export log prices have stabilised and are improving a little, despite conditions in the country's biggest market, China, remaining difficult.

New Zealand producers' input and output prices fell in the second quarter of this year as dairy prices declined.

Russia is scouring the world for produce ranging from Chilean salmon to Egyptian oranges to fill a big hole left by its ban on Western food imports.