$10b for NZ economy after record Fonterra payout

Fonterra is flying high on the back of a bumper year for dairy exports and contributions from overseas businesses, boosting the cooperative to a 13 percent profit that it says will see more than $10 billion flow into the New Zealand economy. It announced a record payout of $8.25 this morning, consisting of a ‘farmgate milk price’ of $7.60 per kg of milk solids ‘distributable profit’ of 65 cents per share for the 2011 financial year.

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Izon joins growing Massachusetts science hub

A Kiwi nanotech company has cut the ribbon at its new US headquarters, located in the growing science and tech hub of Massachusetts. Izon Science, which has developed the world’s first nanopore based measurement system available for general use, said its Cambridge facility would enable it to better support its expanding client base in 23 countries.

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Kudos for Kiwi CMS

A Kiwi web application has hit the big time, with one of the most widely read CMS blogs naming Contegro as a new entrant on its Top 30 content management systems list. The latest CMS Report Top 30 included just 10 new applications, and Contegro is one of only two Kiwi products to ever appear on the list – the other being Wellington-based Silverstripe.

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Sisters take on Queenstown with high-end hotel offering

At first glance, sisters Amelia and Lucy Gain seem rather fresh-faced to be the owner-operators of a hotel. Queenstown’s The Spire is small but it’s at the high end of the market; each of the 10 expansive suites comes with a price tag of more than $1,000 per night.

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Five tips for driving digital customer conversations

Today’s changing marketplace increasingly gives consumers control over their brand relationships, including the terms of engagement. So, as Lisa Arthur writes, perceptive marketers are capitalising not just on what their customers and prospects are saying and doing – but what they’re leaving out.

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A week of Foursquare checkins

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