Helping dairying women along their journeys toward developing dairy businesses in the face of challenges is one of the main themes of this year's Dairy Women's Network annual conference.�

The conference will be held at Rotorua's Millennium Hotel on 21 and 22 March.

In essence, Telstra has successfully converted its market share gains of the last eighteen months into improved profitability. It has done this partly through improved economies of scale and partly through tighter cost control.

New Zealand Wool Services International Limited's General Manager, Mr John Dawson, reports that the North and South Island auction this week comprising 20,000 bales saw an 81.6 percent clearance with a wider spread of buying activity.

Workers from Auckland-based furniture manufacturer, Criterion Manufacturing, which went into receivership last week, meet in Papatoetoe this afternoon and tomorrow to explore what assistance they can get from WINZ and Inland Revenue.

Solid Energy has applied to the Buller District and West Coast Regional Councils for consent to develop a 5 million tonne coking coal resource at Stockton Opencast Mine north of Westport.

The Maritime Union has this afternoon placed a new 7 day full strike notice on the Ports of Auckland.

Strike action would start 7am on 24 February 2012.

While the small fall in unemployment from 6.6 to 6.3 percent is welcome, unemployment remains at a disturbing level, says CTU Economist Bill Rosenberg.

Asia-Pacific appears not to have avoided the fallout of the current negative global economic conditions, according to Ovum.

A career outdoor instructor and UK champion in mountain-bike orienteering has been appointed Centre Manager at OPC's Tongariro base.

TelstraClear's half year result is a good one, says the company's chief financial officer, Alex Ball. "Given the current economic conditions, highly competitive telecommunications market, and recent natural disasters, we're pleased with the financial results to 31 December 2011."