The email from Standard & Poors arrived at precisely 2.13pm - the Budget had passed the first test. There would be no ratings downgrade.

The Govt's proposed changes would undermine KiwiSaver's potential to create jobs, writes Liam Dann.

As if oil prices weren't enough to worry about, instant noodles are being blamed for an impending edible oil shock.

Amid the tragedy and debris it feels harsh to talk about economics and daunting to talk about getting Christchurch back to business.

So in the spirit of the pre-Christmas news dump, here's a final pile of columns in a tasty snack-sized format.

Waiting for that magic moment when one Australian dollar can buy one US dollar has assumed a symbolic importance.

One upside of the Christchurch earthquake is that nature has unleashed the biggest job creation scheme NZ has seen.

Allan Hubbard owes NZ an apology. Whatever happens from here it is clear that his failure as a businessman has put hundreds of millions of tax payer dollars at risk.

This week marked the third anniversary of the credit crunch.