Moody's says our Aaa sovereign credit rating is underpinned by New Zealand's economic strength and low vulnerability to event risk.

Does a country of 4.4m really need 28 ministers - 20 in Cabinet and eight outside?

Now the dust has settled on 'Double-Downgrade Day', it's worth looking at what it all means.

An educated public, knowledgeable of what the issues are and requiring of change, is a prerequisite for any political commitment emerging.

Balancing tax and spending is not a task we can afford to cede to appointed experts...

Why yank the reins on a poor old horse that isn't moving?

An ASB Bank economist says she expects Reserve Bank governor Alan Bollard to cut the official cash rate by 50 basis points to 2.5 per cent in part due to the economic impact of the Christchurch earthquake.

Foreign investors boosted their share of government debt on issue last month to just shy of $28b, as the Crown borrows $300m a week to maintain its spending programme.

Equities in Europe and on Wall Street rallied after Portugal's successful bond sale eased concerns about the euro-zone's debt crisis.

South Africa's experience points the way...

If the good news is that the Reserve Bank expects rates to be lower for longer, the bad news is why it thinks that.