$30m govt loan aimed at US creditor, Lepionka wins Hawke’s Bay court battle, is A2 Milk over-valued?

In NBR Print today: The government made $30 million available to its ailing coal company Solid Energy specifically to repay a debt to US company Cargill, says a document provided to the National Business Review. The money was offered as “facility C” in a 2013 government support package and was designated “to meet payment of the Cargill debt.” Tim Hunter reports.

Big changes are ahead for the way companies are audited, which will affect investors, regulators and management, reports Calida Smylie. New auditing standards will mean investors will get key information about a company far sooner than before to increase transparency and stem problems before they get out of hand.

Charlie’s co-founder Stefan Lepionka has gained the upper hand in a tussle over a trophy Hawke’s Bay property after the Napier High Court ruled in favour of an application to remove caveats on the land title.The decision means Mr Lepionka’s company can proceed with a mortgagee sale of a homestead occupied by prominent Havelock North designer Andy Coltart and complete a subdivision on the surrounding land. Duncan Bridgeman reports.

The former owner of Yarrows, Paul Yarrow, has been found personally liable to the owners of an artisan French bakery in Rotorua for an amount that could exceed $2 million. Hamish McNicol reports.

Shareholders in a 760ha forest north of Gisborne face a $13.6 million decision next Saturday with a split board after the chairman’s annual report was censored by a secret committee. “It’s an amazing situation,” chairman John Cliffe tells Tim Hunter.

Attacks such as the ISIL atrocity in Paris will continue and will help keep New Zealand’s net migration high, Prime Minister John Key says. Data this week shows the widely forecast drop in net migration is not happening and Mr Key says it probably won’t, reports Rob Hosking.

Are Aussie investors eyeing The A2 Milk Company [NZX: ATM] with rose-tinted glasses? Or are they more hard-nosed, ruthless and much more driven by a take-no-prisoners ethos than their Kiwi counterparts? That seems the best explanation for the recent surge in A2 Milk’s share price. Jenny Ruth finds out what all the fuss is about.

Rumours are again swirling that John Key may hand over the prime ministership to Steven Joyce before or soon after the next election, writes Matthew Hooton.

The canning of a proposed screen hub in Auckland has earned councillor Cameron Brewer and council controlled organisations (CCOs) a strong rebuke from a senior industry figure. Nick Grant reports.

Ultimately there’s no reason why Veritas [NZX: VIL] shouldn’t turn into a decent company, says Hunters’ Corner. It just looks like there’s some water to go under the bridge before it gets there. 

Looking back now, it’s clear that skincare and candle company Trilogy [NZX:TIL] had turned the corner in 2014. But, says Shoeshine, few would have picked what was to come.

Investors are picking winds of change in Australia, writes Nevil Gibson in Margin Call. And a senior economist gives four reasons to be positive about Australia.

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All this and more in today’s National Business Review print edition. Out now.