Latest fromEconomy

Property Report: Price rises unstoppable
Too many drivers are keeping the Auckland property market hot, and experts see little or no change, as David Maida discovers.

Property Report: Buyer hysteria encourages Auckland price surge
Auckland prices have been rising faster than elsewhere in the country, due to recent action by the Reserve Bank and the Govt.

Property Report: Reinventing the Kiwi property dream
The day of the Kiwi quarter-acre dream is a dream of yesteryear, especially for those of us who call Auckland home.

Liquor store appeals racism finding
The owners of a liquor store who were found to have racially harassed an employee have lodged an appeal against the judgment, saying they weren't given a chance to defend the claims.

Govt gives up chasing $3.9m in grants
The government has given up on trying to claw back $3.9 million in research and development grants paid to failed touchscreen developer NextWindow

Lamb wool prices hit record
New Zealand lamb wool prices jumped to a record high amid strong demand from exporters and limited supplies.

Time to sharpen the clippers?
To cut or not to cut? That is the question the Reserve Bank confronts ahead of next week's official cash rate decision, writes Brian Rudman.

Woman unfairly sacked after miscarriage
Call centre bosses who fired a woman shortly after she had a miscarriage have been told to pay up.

Loan rules cut turnover by 8pc
Given how large the imbalances in the Auckland housing market are, house price growth is likely to persist in the near term.

Commodity prices fall again in May
The ANZ Commodity Price Index for May fell by 4.7pc, following April's 7.4 per cent decline.

Robyn Pearce: Is someone in your family struggling to read?
Robyn Pearce says it's not hard to draw a very short bow between reading struggles and diminished productivity.

Automatic Kiwisaver enrolment has a big impact
Behavioural economics shows people are often less rational than we assume which makes the Government's KiwiSaver proposal a good move, writes Ananish Chaudhuri.

300 posties gone, just one redundancy
Hundreds of posties will lose their jobs when mail delivery days are slashed next month, but just one compulsory redundancy is expected.

Dealing with a 'rough around the edges' co-worker
There's nothing professional about profanity. But it's often dismissed when it comes from "intense" workers.

Aussie's commodity spending boom over
Australia is forecasting a staggering 90 per cent plunge in spending on projects, calling time on its biggest resources bonanza since the 1850s gold rush.

China blows its debt bubble bigger
China is likely to ensure a belated financial reckoning in the years ahead, and it has the potential to shake the global economy.

Taking tried and trusted a step further
Training and upskilling employees who may be nearing retirement age more than pays back, Raewyn Court reports.

Brian Fallow: Government shrugs off climate change
A big economic call the Government has to make this year is what emissions target New Zealand will commit to for the 2020s, writes Brian Fallow.

Nando's worker awarded over $16,000
A Nando's worker who was either not paid or underpaid for the six months he worked at the Christchurch restaurant has been awarded more than $16,000 in unpaid wages and costs.

When predicting China stocks there's only wrong and very wrong
Only in China can you predict the world's biggest stock-market rally and still come out looking like a pessimist.

'No' is your most powerful time management tool
Robyn Pearce tells us focus is a precious and vital skill which helps us get great results and a feeling of control.

Just a spoonful of flexibility ...
Winter marks the beginning of cold and flu season for many Kiwis. In offices where people work in close proximity a cold can soon do the rounds and bring staff levels way down.

'Time is near' for US interest-rate increase
Strong employment growth is pushing the US economy close to the point where it can support higher interest rates.

Americans toast strong dollar while downing cheap European wine
Of the many wonders to behold in Greece, Matt Derr has found a gem: local wine at $3 a glass.

New El Nino brings risk factor to farms
El Nino this year is likely to reduce New Zealand's agricultural output, say BNZ economists.

China Inc. is coming to America, and it's hiring
A new report described as the first of its kind has broken down how much Chinese money is flowing into America.

Owen Glenn and Greg Whittred: Raising new breed of superstars
The University of Auckland is about to take a plunge into uncharted waters: A series of never-before-seen initiatives aimed at creating a generation of more enterprising graduates.

3 Asian economies with room for improvement
William Pesek grades Park Geun Hye of South Korea, Benigno Aquino of the Philippines and Joko Widodo of Indonesia.