New Zealand Stocks: New Zealand Oil, Sky Network Television

By Shani Raja

April 9 (Bloomberg) -- New Zealand’s NZX 50 Index fell for a third day, slipping 0.2 percent to 2,562.97 at 10:35 a.m. in Wellington, poised for the lowest close since March 16. The following were among the most active shares in the New Zealand market. Stock symbols are in parentheses after company names.

New Zealand Oil & Gas Ltd. (NZO NZ), the country’s biggest publicly traded explorer, advanced 0.7 percent to NZ$1.38, erasing yesterday’s decline. Crude oil rose for the first time in four days yesterday after a U.S. government report showed a smaller inventory gain than that predicted in an industry report.

Sky Network Television Ltd. (SKT NZ), New Zealand’s largest pay-television operator, gained 1 percent to NZ$3.89, the benchmark index’s third-best performance.

Sky will be the host broadcaster of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, delivering all 48 matches live and providing a base for other licensed broadcasters, Rugby World Cup Ltd. said in a statement posted on its Web site.

To contact the reporter on this story: Shani Raja in Sydney at sraja4@bloomberg.net.