Welcome to Today in Business - Powered by Spark for Business, an experimental AI podcast by the New Zealand Herald. Each weekday, we bring you five stories, the best of the New Zealand Herald business journalism, summarised and delivered by an AI voice as an easily digestible recap. It's Friday, October 17, 2025, and here are five stories you should know about. Rocket Lab founder Peter Beck is now worth US$3.5 billion. The company has recently signed its first contracts for the crew-capable Neutron Rocket, and delivered two Mars spacecraft for Nasa. Recent deals, including one with Japan's aerospace agency, lifted its order book above US$1 billion. Rocket Lab raised US$750 million through a rights issue, and now employs about 800 staff in Auckland, following its purchase of a Warkworth carbon composite plant. In other news, Alliance Group's independent director, Mark Wynne, says he's confident farmer-shareholders will back a proposal giving Ireland's Dawn Meats a 65 percent stake for $270 million. The vote takes place Monday in Invercargill. Some farmers have formed an alternative plan to keep Alliance fully New Zealand-owned through new capital contributions and asset rationalisation. Wynne says farmers indicate they prefer external investment after rejecting fresh capital calls last year. Alliance owes banks 188 million dollars due December 19. If approved, Dawn Meats will appoint three of five directors under joint governance and veto rights. Elsewhere, builder Brosnan has been recognised for its extensive repairs to the Oaks Queenstown Shores Resort, which requires $160 million of leaky building remediation. The four-block, 12-level complex involves 161 apartments, costing about $993,000 each to fix. Brosnan's work earned three Australasian Concrete Repair and Remedial Building Association awards, including overall excellence. Chief executive Geoff Nash says block two was completed last year and won the prizes, while work continues on blocks three and four. Owners settled earlier with the Queenstown Lakes District Council and Government. Brosnan reports improvements in passive fire protection and waterproofing across subsequent stages. Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand will expand their joint Auckland-Singapore route from 21 to 28 weekly flights starting on October 27th. Four aircraft will each operate seven weekly services, using Airbus A350 and Boeing triple sevens. And from January 18, the giant Airbus A380 will also operate on the route until March 29. The A380 features six suites and 78 business-class seats on the upper deck, with 44 premium economy and 343 economy seats below, making it the world's largest commercial passenger aircraft. And in international developments, about 3,000 claimants in Britain have launched a High Court action against Johnson & Johnson, seeking more than £1 billion over alleged asbestos exposure from talcum powder. The case covers use between 1965 and 2023. Law firm KP Law alleges the company knew its talc products contained carcinogenic fibres for decades. Johnson & Johnson refers inquiries to Kenvue, its former consumer health arm, which now handles non-US and non-Canadian litigation. Kenvue says the powder met safety standards and did not contain asbestos. The World Health Organisation has classified talc as probably carcinogenic to humans. That was Today in Business - Powered by Spark for Business - your NZ Herald daily business summary. For the best in business, subscribe to Herald Premium at nzherald.co.nz.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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