The economy's prospects look a lot brighter in the Treasury's latest forecasts than they did when it was preparing the Budget in April.

Prime Minister John Key says there is "light at the end of the tunnel", after half-yearly accounts painted a better picture than the Budget.

Treasury says NZ has come through the financial crisis in better shape than most of its traditional trading partners.

Free trips for pensioners on Waiheke Island ferries are under review because they are costing the SuperGold Card scheme too much.

John Key ushered through a special rule change so Bill English could keep his taxpayer-funded self-drive car in Wellington rather than Dipton.

The investment portfolios of ACC and the New Zealand Superannuation Fund continued to prop up the government's books as corporate and personal tax revenues dwindled, says Treasury.

Auckland could gain a new $3 billion-plus Waitemata Harbour crossing within 15 years if Steven Joyce's programme is followed.

The tax system has deteriorated beyond the point where tinkering and tweaking are enough, was the message this week.

No one is underestimating the political difficulties in making substantial change, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

Recommendations which simply endorsed currently popular measures would have meant that the 2025 Taskforce had achieved nothing at all.

A new study has confirmed a long-held Australian belief - less-skilled Kiwis have migrated there at a higher rate than skilled professionals.

Don Brash's report on catching up with Australia has sparked a new round of debate about monetary policy.

The 2025 Taskforce has delivered exactly the kind of extreme right-wing-policy prescription its critics had predicted it would.