Let's start by acknowledging that New Zealand struggles to earn a First World living.

You don't have to be an employee to be part of KiwiSaver, but the rules are a bit different.

The kindest view you could have of the emissions trading scheme, what's left of it, is that it is a brutally pruned seedling barely surviving in frozen ground.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott faces a difficult challenge as his Liberal-led government tries to reboot the stalled mining boom.

John Drinnan asks : what is TVNZ for?

Last Wednesday, Fonterra bosses were heaving a collective sigh of relief, but as Fran O'Sullivan writes the clean-up from its dirty pipe debacle continues.

The threat of Western intervention in Syria has markets on edge and looks set to add another layer of complexity to the global economic outlook, writes Liam Dann.

If ever there was a time to do all those financial tasks you've been putting off, it's this week.

Fonterra "got away with it" over the botulism scare - but NZ's reputation took a big hit in China and that won't suddenly be undone, writes Liam Dann.

Prime Minister John Key and Finance Minister Bill English have revealed a new strategy for the Meridian Energy share offering.

Some people need a hit between the eyes before they'll change their errant financial ways.

Rebuilding internal trust is important as there will be many Fonterra employees dismayed at the affair and the damage it has suffered, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

Culture - it's a word that can be filled with meaning or thrown about in a way that means nothing at all.

It's risky policy for a liberal, left-of-centre party because it leaves them open to accusations of xenophobia, writes Liam Dann.

Credit scores are important - guard yours well. A good credit score is essential for getting a mortgage, business finance and perhaps even a job.

The KiwiSaver active versus passive debate has been reignited following recent articles by Diana Clement in the Business Herald, Paul McBeth in the Listener and Rob Stock, the money editor of the Sunday Star-Times, in an Auckland suburban newspaper.

Could you please tell me if I will be able to continue in my KiwiSaver scheme as I joined in July 2008, so almost five years ago.

If John Key was genuine in his concern about being disadvantaged relative to property investors he could legislate to reduce the tax advantages, writes Brian Fallow.

Commodities are at the mercy of some unprecedented global trends...

Any traveller who has experienced a glacier-slow wait in an international transit lounge might have some sympathy for American defector Edward Snowden.

Full marks to Synlait bosses Graham Milne and John Penno for hanging tough in the post-global financial crisis environment and going offshore.

"Was it greed or was it just a case of really bad timing?" asks Liam Dann. "Probably the latter, as the Government must have been hoping for a result which would help promote the next three asset sales to New Zealanders."

Judging by Peter Dunne's Twitter feed, he had become obsessed by the agency's wayward behaviour and was very much focused on civil liberties, writes Fran O'Sullivan.

For some start-up businesses, collaborating with other like-minded companies is something they do from day one.

Brian Fallow looks at the issues involved in a wholesale electricity market, and whether it is competitive or not.

It remains an area crying out for regulatory oversight in case missteps by smaller players screw the market for our champions, writes Fran O'Sullivan.