Government debt is not so huge as to warrant selling SOEs, says economist Geoff Simmons.

Yellow Pages Group has bought a small online bulk-buying company as part of its massive and fraught restructuring.

A proposed Pike River mine stabilisation plan doesn't allow for the recovery of the miners and won’t guarantee the future of the mine.

Labour leader Phil Goff has accused John Key of "passing the buck" on whether to permanently seal the Pike River coal mine. Receivers have been given until 5pm today to come up with a plan for stabilising the mine.

Sealing the Pike River mine could see vital evidence lost, the lawyer for the families of those killed says.

The Pike River mine will be sealed and there is little or no chance of the bodies of 29 men killed being recovered in the near future, says Prime Minister John Key. He said it was "not an issue of money or time or commitment."

Closing the Pike River coal mine and handing the land back to the government is the worst-case scenario, according to the company's receiver.

The Pike River Mine will be handed back to the company's receivers, Police Commissioner Howard Broad announced yesterday.

The New Zealand dollar is trading at its highest level against the pound in three decades.