The situation in Cyprus has been a blunt reminder that the world is still working through debt problems which could lead to more global market wobbles.

Finance Minister Bill English has asked officials what tax reforms could materially lift the economy's performance, writes Brian Fallow.

Business confidence slipped in this month's ANZ Business Outlook survey, though it remains high by the standards of the survey's 25-year history.

The overwhelming majority of Auckland information and communications technology employers are planning to hire new staff this year as new projects are rolled out and customer demand increases, research shows.

New Zealand's research and development spend rose to $2.6b last year but remains far below many other OECD countries as a proportion of GDP.

Engineering and construction started this year as hot industries for jobs. The collapse of Mainzeal flooded the market with motivated jobseekers.

Stellar growth in the last three months of 2012 indicates the economy started this year with more momentum than expected - sufficiently more, perhaps, to counter the headwind of drought.

New Zealand's continuous pursuit of economic growth is depleting the country's resources while failing to satisfy our material desires, says an Auckland academic.

The New Zealand economy grew at the fastest quarterly pace in three years in the tail-end of last year.

Hiding in the laundry chute of his luxury riverside apartment, Hohepa Morehu-Barlow fumed as he watched detectives rummage through his trove of designer belongings.

The Kiwi love affair with Asia may be waning with fewer now thinking Asia is important to New Zealand's future or viewing Asian immigration as positive.

Guinness Peat Group (GPG), the investment holding company in the final stages of selling all but one of its assets, is considering its options after completing a share buyback yesterday.

The Hawaiian Airlines president and chief executive's love of aviation developed as a child frequently flying across the Atlantic from the United States to Britain.

There is no real risk to insurance companies in this, as it is either passed on to reinsurers, or is covered by weather-linked "catastrophe bonds", writes Michael Naylor.

The International Monetary Fund counsels against "messing with" the NZ monetary policy framework.

We can expect to see the price rise steadily again over the coming months, writes Liam Dann. The commodity price of dairy has been tracking up since it hit a worrying low last winter.

More than 50 long-serving TAB workers look set to lose their jobs as the agency prepares to close its Auckland phone betting centre at Ellerslie.

Almost half of Auckland's small and medium-sized firms expect a lift in sales in the coming year, research suggests.

Transparency and engagement are important ingredients in building a successful business that serves the needs of all stakeholders, writes Paul Glass.

Revenue Minister Peter Dunne says his proposed tax on employer-provided carparks is about fairness and he questions why opponents have only now challenged the plan.

The most timely gauge of manufacturing is the most positive it has been for a year, as a pick-up in construction boosts upstream suppliers.

Prime Minister John Key this morning released documents detailing Solid Energy's ambitious expansion plans.