The Prime Minister says cuts to KiwiSaver and Working for Families announced today will save the schemes from being axed in the future, but critics argue they will do nothing to fix the country's wider economic problems.
More details of KiwiSaver cuts will be announced in the budget, but John Key says the $1000 kick start for new accounts will remain.
Business New Zealand is cautioning against reading too much into an improvement in an index of economic conditions it compiles.
Economists believe GDP stats due out this week will show the NZ economy has expanded less that the Reserve Bank forecasted, confirming that interest rates are on hold for now.
NZ manufacturing has expanded for the third month in a row and reached its highest expansion rate since 2004, according to the latest PMI survey.
Bureaucrats are three times more likely to earn six-figure salaries than other workers, a study reveals.
The service sector received another boost in expansion to record its highest result since November 2007.
The strength of the Australian economy helped drive manufacturing in New Zealand to a record high.