And the lucky winners are...

The Business Herald presents its awards for the New Zealand business people and events that mattered - or that entertained us - in 2004.

Dented Halo Award: Takeovers Panel chairman John King. After a long, sweet run as a market regulator, the panel finally drops a clanger over the takeover bid for Powerco. Australia's Prime Infrastructure is allowed to make a different - and better - offer to the company's overseas shareholders. The result - a mass migration of shares from New Zealand to Australia ... and confusion, angst and ire.

Deal of the Year I: In Australia, richest New Zealander Graeme Hart offloads a $2.1 billion chunk of his international food business, Burns Philp, to Associated British Foods.

Deal of the Year II: Origin Energy snaps up 51 per cent of New Zealand energy giant Contact for $1.68 billion.

Like a Rocket Award: The New Zealand sharemarket for another stellar year of 20 per cent-plus gross returns that puts smiles on the dials of investors and NZX head and part-owner Mark Weldon.

Company to Watch: Hamilton's Pacific Aerospace, maker of the PAC 750XL, the aeroplane that targets the adventure skydiving market. It's little. It's unlisted. It's on the radars of some canny investors.

Battler: Josephine Grierson, she of the many photo opportunities and of the new Fox Outlet Centre in Northcote. Fresh from legal bouts with Eric Watson over being cut out of the takeover of Bendon in 2002, she heads off to the Supreme Court to face off against shopping mall giant Westfield over the Fox centre. "A real David and Goliath year," she notes.

Charred Sausage Award: The ASB Bank, left holding the barbie after the collapse of the StoreFund share float. The bank's unexpected ownership of the BBQ Factory, the business at the centre of the share offer, prompts many a joke - Auckland Spa and Barbecue, that sort of thing. The bank quickly flicks the business on.

Botched PR event: The media launch in Auckland of a $90 million share offer by Jim Scott's Aquiline Holdings. The big mistake was inviting along sharebroker Tim Preston and commentator Brian Gaynor - who both publicly demolished the offer.

Better Late Than Never Award: Dairy giant Fonterra for finally moving on National Foods in Australia - the takeover target that it could have bought so much more cheaply back in, say, last year.

Best Share Float: Clothing retailer Pumpkin Patch. It issued shares at $1.25 each in June; now they are about $2.70 after another lift in profit guidance.

My Crystal Ball is Broken Award: To the many sharebrokers who touted the Red Sheds as the likely big comeback story of 2004. To quote from the Business Herald of January 10: "One of the sharemarket's walking wounded, The Warehouse, is the company most fancied by sharebrokers for the year ahead." Ouch. At the time of writing, the stock was down more than 27 per cent for the year.

Scandal of the Year: Collapse of Access Brokerage.

Comeback Kid: Craig Norgate - dumped as Fonterra chief executive last year - completes a takeover of Wrightson and then thwarts Fonterra with a raid on another rural services company, Williams & Kettle.

Little Ripper: Explorer New Zealand Oil & Gas - by late December, up nearly 190 per cent in share price for the year.

Self-directed Blowtorch Award: Shareholders Association chairman Bruce Sheppard. While other investors in the big Trinity "tax dodge" go to the Supreme Court to try to keep their identities secret, Sheppard outs himself. Members will vote at the association's next annual meeting on whether he retains their confidence.

The "Hello, I Must Be Going" Award: Banker Lindsay Pyne, appointed to the Telecom board amid vocal protests in October last year. In May, he announces he's going, citing growing commitments in Asia. But the critics say he's effectively been rolled by shareholder activism.

Off the Wall Prediction for 2005: Casino and entertainment company SkyCity Entertainment to be taken over by one of the big Australian players, Tabcorp Holdings or Publishing and Broadcasting. Just a guess.

Thwarted Lovers: Qantas and Air New Zealand fail to overturn the Commerce Commission's rejection of alliance plans. Belated approval from the Australian Competition Tribunal is a footnote to a deal that is already dead.

Media Industry Stories of the Year: CanWest floating New Zealand assets TV3 and RadioWorks; APN News & Media starting the Herald on Sunday; television channel Prime nabbing that TVNZ newsman - hey what was the name of that little guy, again?

Felled, by cancer: That colourful and excellently vulgar presence, the business journalist once described as "the consummate nosy bastard", the editor of business weekly the Independent, Warren Berryman.