Alan Bollard has sent a clear message to Govt that he wants more restraint on public spending.

Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard has singled out tax reform as an important tool in tackling our economic challenges.

Alan Bollard has left the OCR unchanged at 2.5pc. The pick-up in economy may drive an early rate hike next year.

Interest rates have been left on hold by the Reserve Bank this morning.

Reserve Bank Governor Alan Bollard today gave himself wiggle room to raise the OCR earlier than previously indicated.

The Reserve Bank is expected to leave both its official cash rate and its message unchanged when it delivers its monetary policy statement on Thursday.

Australia's central bank has raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage point for an unprecedented third straight month.

Treasury released a paper yesterday arguing that cuts to Government spending would take pressure off interest rates and the dollar.

Labour leader Phil Goff announces the end of the political consensus around the policy targets and tools of the Reserve Bank.

Treasury has painted a bleak picture of an under-performing New Zealand economy and outlined some tough choices for the Government.

The NZ dollar may keep falling this week as investors get jittery about the speed and strength of the global recovery .

The New Zealand dollar has tumbled amid renewed concerns the global recovery may take longer than previously thought.

The Reserve Bank has left official interest rates unchanged at 2.5 per cent this morning, while confirming they are not likely to rise till the second half of next year.

Interest rates have been left on hold by the Reserve Bank this morning, with governor Alan Bollard confirming again that he intends to keep them low till "the latter part of 2010".

How can we expect an Australian standard of living when their productivity is about 40 per cent higher than ours, asks Brian Fallow.