Midday Report for Friday 22 January 2016

12:34 PM.News from the rural and farming sectors. Audio

12:27 PM.The All Black number eight Kieran Read will captain the Crusaders for the 2016 Super Rugby season, though he'll miss the start of the competition. Audio

12:26 PM.An international survey has found New Zealand's business optimism levels are back to where they were 12 months ago, ranking the country 5th out of 36 countries. Audio

12:24 PM.For the latest from the markets we're joined by Melika King at Craigs Investment Partners. Audio

12:19 PM.One region that's showing signs of strong economic activity is Hawke's Bay. Audio

12:17 PM.The chief economist at HSBC says the lack of inflation in economies is a conundrum facing central banks around the world. Audio

12:00 PM.A Cook Islands maths teacher says he felt demoralised and like a criminal when he was held in a cell for seven and a half hours for failing to repay his student loan debt. A New Zealander living in… Read more Audio