16 Dec 2014

Business briefs

2:01 pm on 16 December 2014

Air New Zealand's passengers up

Air New Zealand carried 1,090,000 passengers in November, up 3.1 percent on the same month last year.

It said short haul passenger numbers increased 2.9 percent while long haul numbers rose 4.6 percent.

Air New Zealand said there was increased demand on Pacific, Asia, North America and British routes.

Chatham Rock trials rock phosphate

Chatham Rock Phosphate said new trials indicate that Chatham Rise rock phosphate compares favourably with super-phosphate fertiliser.

The tests, commissioned by the mining company, measured the effectiveness of rock phosphate from the Chatham Rise on plant productivity, with rock phosphate from a Mexican marine deposit.

The study, conducted by Lincoln University and AgResearch, was comparable to extensive field trials conducted during the 1980s, which also found Chatham Rise rock phosphate to be an effective pastoral fertiliser.

Oamaru fully fibred

Oamaru has become the South Island's first fully-fibred town.

More than 6200 households, schools, businesses and health facilities, in the area can now connect to ultra-fast broadband.

Thrifty gets a scoot on

Rental company Thrifty said it has a new fleet of scooters available at its two Picton branches over summer.

It said the yellow and black 49cc scooters will be available from today until April.

The firm thinks the scooters will be an attractive option for international visitors, particularly backpackers, as a way to explore Marlborough.