Threat to aquaculture, accountant’s strange company, Veritas on the prowl and banks get tough on valuers

The $350 million aquaculture industry is under potential threat from a phenomenon known as “ocean acidification” Reporter Nathan Smith reveals the threat is so severe that US Secretary of State John Kerry sent a sustainable fisheries advisor to New Zealand to warn the aquaculture business.

A South Island accountancy and a Wellington business analyst are looking into claims that New Zealand registered companies they are associated with may not be as they seem. Chief reporter Duncan Bridgeman reports.

Has Fonterra again fallen foul of disclosure rules? Business reporter David Williams asks the question after wading through officail government documents concerning a Sri Lankan court order last August.

What’s the NZX-listed owner of the Mad Butcher up to know? Business reproter Calida Smylie reveals Veritas Investments is on the hunt for acquisitions in the food sector. But what about adding farming to its portfolio?

Reporter Jamie Ball looks at how five Zespri directors have increased their shareholding in the company in the last five years and what some growers think of that.

Shoeshine looks at the IPO process and suggests a more transparent system for setting prices is worth looking at. Also, what next for Hirepool?

What’s Plan B’s plan A? Technology editor Chris Keall sits down with Ian Forrester, managing diretcor of business continuity service company Plan B.

Ad/Media reporter Campbell Gibson has a peak at DDB’s bottom line and asks why Kiwis are hard nuts to crack when it comes to social media.

A special feature this week covers business insurance, including a prize for the most contradictory insurance policy

In Property this week, Chris Hutching reveals some property valuations have been rejected by major banks, which are prefering to use a new centralised system provided by Property IQ. Expect some fallout.

Briefly:

• In Technology, Chris Keall chats to Ian McCrae of Orion Healthcare about its possible palns for an IPO
• Margin Call connects the performance of listed blue chip stocks with the question of what’s preventing New Zealand from becoming a high growth economy
• Michael Coote says the 2014 general election will be a test of how well money politics works in New Zealand

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