New Zealand shares were flat on Wednesday amid escalating conflicts in the Middle East after Israel struck the capital of Qatar.

The S&P/NZX 50 Index was little changed to close at 13,276.24.

Israel attempted to attack the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Qatar on Tuesday, escalating its military action in the Middle East with what the US described as a unilateral attack that does not advance American and Israeli interests, Reuters reported Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration is pressing ahead with negotiations to resolve trade barriers with India and that he plans to speak with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fueling expectations of a possible deal after weeks of tension, Reuters reported in a separate Tuesday article.

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily barred Trump from removing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, marking an early setback for the White House in a historic legal fight that could challenge the central bank's independence, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

In domestic news, a total of 2,229 metric tonnes (MT) of products were sold during the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) Pulse auction held Tuesday, within the supply range of 1,900 MT to 2,450 MT, according to data from the trading platform.

Also, New Zealand's average property asking price rose 0.5% year-on-year to NZ$820,800 in August, marking the first annual increase since June 2024.

Further, the Light Traffic Index in New Zealand rose 1% in August and 1.5% from a year earlier, said ANZ Research.

In corporate news, Briscoe Group (ASX:BGP, NZE:BGP) reported Wednesday fiscal first-half earnings of NZ$0.1313 per share, down from NZ$0.1488 a year earlier.

Gentrack Group (ASX:GTK, NZE:GTK) received notice that UBS Group and its related entities became the company's substantial shareholder on Sept. 5.