Now that economic reform has slowed, joining TPP could spur the next round of reforms, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

The bipartisan position on free trade is now in limbo, and Labour's position of withholding support until it sees details is not as radical as the original plan to oppose it.

Labour leader David Cunliffe intervened in a meeting of affiliated unions at the party conference in Wigram to broker a compromise resolution on the Trans Pacific Partnership.

David Cunliffe's leadership will be put to an early test at the Labour Party conference this weekend as he mediates between two divergent forces in the party on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

David Cunliffe's popularity began to wane almost as soon as the media spotlight ceased illuminating the contest over the Labour Party's parliamentary leadership, writes Dr Damien Rogers.

Tokyo-listed liquor giant Asahi has written more than $500m off the carrying value of NZ's Independent Liquor, the brewing company it purchased for $1.5b in 2011.

The New Zealand dollar was the worst performing currency overnight, as investors switched to so-called 'safe haven' assets.

The New Zealand dollar has jumped to its highest in more than five months.

The key question is whether Labour will stay on song with the bilateral positioning that has assured NZ extraordinary clout in trade negotiations, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

It's going to take a lot more political bungling to do any permanent damage to America's reputation or wreck its financial markets.

Fonterra's botulism scandal was one of the "greatest gifts" the company could have given to the Chinese Government, according to a visiting foreign correspondent.

French food giant Danone says it will lose more than half a billion dollars in sales in the current financial year as a result of Fonterra's botulism false alarm.

The Council of Trade Unions (CTU) is calling for an appeal to be launched after the Waitakere District Court ruled that the death of a young security guard is not the responsibility of his employer.

The NZ dollar has continued edge amid the ongoing stand-off between US legislators which is threatening a default on debt obligations of the world's biggest economy.