A Fonterra executive paid $3.7m when he left the dairy giant this year, was said to have been the fall guy for the disastrous investment in China's San Lu milk company.

Driving through Nairobi with blood pouring from a gunshot wound is not what Alan Mountfort visualised when he answered an ad to invest in an olive grove.

Tourism has lost its title as the nation's biggest export earner, falling behind the dairy sector.

A departing Fonterra executive has pipped CEO Andrew Ferrier's take-home salary, receiving total payments of up to $3.72 million.

New Zealand's new Free Trade Agreement with Malaysia should be a flavour-booster for kiwifruit marketer Zespri.

John Key says the signing of a free trade deal with Malaysia is another vital move towards a "step change" for the NZ economy.

New Zealand's largest exporter, Fonterra, says it will receive no protection under planned changes to the emissions trading scheme.

New Zealand avocados could be sold in prepackaged halves or as guacamole that can be stored for as long as 60 days if a new company achieves its goals.

A group of top wineries is joining forces with NZ Trade and Enterprise to target the "ultra-premium" American wine market.

New Zealand escaped major damage during the recent global financial crisis, says the Reserve Bank in its Annual Report.

Bidding in Fonterra's latest monthly online auction of whole milkpowder early today saw a lift in prices.

NZ's export commodity prices made their biggest monthly rise in 22 years last montth, rising 6.8 per cent from August, the ANZ Commodity Price Index shows.