Questions over crowd-funding, broadcasters make digital rights grab, 1080:a ticking time bomb?

In NBR Print today: Equity crowdfunding is always going to be a risky investment choice by nature of the start-up companies involved. But as Calida Smylie discovers, experienced venture capitalists are raising red flags as to whether company valuations and forecasts are stacking up.

With property assets in several countries including New Zealand, Australia and the US, Tony Quinn has his sights set on the financially troubled Taupo Motorsport Park. But existing shareholders rebuffed his bid and the Park’s future is now in doubt. Chris Hutching finds out what the Irish-born Kiwi has to offer.

The difference between recovering more than $25 million for the victims of David Ross, or stopping dead at $3 million, will be fought over in court next week. Hamish McNicol previews what will be a landmark case.

Carrots work better than sticks in changing human behaviour and, in the case of the meat industry, the carrot is worth a tasty $440-450 million a year, columnist Jacqueline Rowarth writes.

The Law Society and Ministry of Justice are addressing concerns over a significant backlog of reviews of lawyers’ disciplinary decisions. Recent figures show if lawyers or their clients are unhappy with the result of a Law Society Disciplinary Tribunal ruling and appeal it to the Legal Complaints Review Office, more than half are in for a wait of at least a year.  Victoria Young reports.

More than $54.2 billion poured out of Asian countries last year for investment in property assets in other parts of the globe – a 23% leap in a year. As Sally Lindsay reports, some $1.3 billion of that came into New Zealand.

As video-on-demand platforms proliferate in New Zealand, free-to-air broadcasters should be courting Kiwi content creators because of the competitive edge their shows represent. Instead, as Nick Grant reveals, they’re alienating local producers by demanding digital rights for free.

“Eco-terrorist” extortion threats to poison infant formula with 1080 may overshadow consideration of what genuine threat the poison may ultimately present to the safety of New Zealand’s primary produce, reports Jamie Ball.

To say that Cavalier Corp [NZX:CAV] has a big job ahead to turn its performance around seems like an understatement of epic proportions. Shoeshine reckons the company needs to pull a rabbit out of a hat and quickly.

Campbell Gibson reveals why state-owned enterprise Kordia is trying to shake off the “only large corporates allowed” image and is chasing the medium enterprise (ME) market.

Expert warns Australia will get worse as the US and UK improve but China continues to weaken. Michael Coote surmises that there must be some ruboff on New Zealand from the slowdown over the ditch, through falling demand for exports and a strengthening kiwi dollar exchange rate.

Bauer Media is playing down allegations it is at war with its freelance photographers and writers, Campbell Gibson reports.

Win or lose, it is going be very difficult to respect National in the morning of March 29, Rob Hosking writes in Order Paper.

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