A_JS101116NADBAFIVE100.JPG: Northland Regional Council chairman Bill Shepherd What is the Investment and Growth Reserve? By Christine

Liam Dann talks to Economist Satish Ranchhod about the big issues for this year’s election.

For Comvita, an unofficial "grey" channel into China has played a big part in its success, but a change in the rules has hit sales.

New research showing how efforts to keep pests out of countries are failing to keep up with the pace of globalisation means New Zealand must be more vigilant than ever, a biosecurity expert says.

New Zealand Trade Minister Todd McClay is travelling to Sydney to discuss regional trade issue with his Australian counterpart.

Trade Minister Todd McClay will request that talks on a Mexican free trade deal be placed on the agenda when he meets his counterpart in Mexico.

The expected roll-out of Ultra Fast Broadband in Morrinsville may be 18 months ahead of the original schedule - but it's not soon enough for local businesses. Made with funding from NZ On Air

Tourism spending in the Bay of Plenty has increased a huge 44 per cent in just five years, hitting $802 million last year.

COMMENT: Is the end of the Trans-Pacific Partnership the death of open economies or just a setback, Brian Fallow writes.

Dairy prices are tipped to rise at this week's auction.

What happens when a town triples in size overnight? Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Transport Minister Simon Bridges has bought two electric cars, and is trying to convince other National MPs to do the same.

Auckland's mayor has said he's open to building a pontoon-like structure whose consent was put on hold by the council earlier this month.

New Zealand's economy batted away some curly political curveballs of 2016 to end the year on a high note.

New Zealand consumer confidence posted its biggest lift in four years as rural communities were more upbeat after gains in dairy prices

A crackdown on tax-dodging multinationals could be on its way if measures outlined in a recent cabinet discussion paper are taken on board by the government. The document was obtained exclusively by NZ Herald investigations reporter Matt Nippert who joins Tristram Clayton to discuss what measures the government could take.

UNCOVERED: One worker revealed that he worked 12 hours a day, seven days a week for six months, earning just $5 an hour.

A fifth of share milkers who responded to a Federated Farmers survey said they were coming under pressure from their bank on their

The New Zealand business community says the economy is in good shape, but an impact could be seen at the next election.

Advances in whole milk powder prices at recent GlobalDairyTrade auctions is bolstering the outlook for New Zealand's largest export commodity.

New Zealand has been spared half a billion dollars in damage from a notorious pest - and scientists say it's an Irish wasp we have to thank for it.

Tristram Clayton joins Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner, Dr. Jackie Blue to reflect on the NZ Herald report into exploitation in the human hair trade industry and what New Zealand businesses and consumers can do about it.

The number of foreigners applying to buy land in New Zealand has jumped by a massive four hundred and forty two per cent in the first ten months of this year. Join Tristram Clayton as he finds out more from NZ Herald property editor Anne Gibson.

The latest QV House Price Index Figures are out and they make for interesting reading. Joining Bernadine Oliver-Kerby is QV National Spokesperson Andrea Rush to explain.

Bernadine Oliver-Kerby meets The Warehouse's Lonnica Van Engelen to discuss the most popular toys for Christmas 2016, including the much sought after Hatchimals.

High farm debt and inflated house prices remain a risk to New Zealand's financial system.

New Zealand's monthly trade deficit narrowed in October the global dairy market buoyed exports of dairy products.

COMMENT: Treasury's newly updated projections for the long-run outlook look OK for a few years, but then it gets ugly.

COMMENT: Dairy, meat, logs and even rising house prices are all masking the key to New Zealand's future success which will be driven by technology.

Retailer Pumpkin Patch will close after no buyer was found for the company. All remaining Pumpkin Patch stores will stay open until at least the end of the year. However, Pumpkin Patch's head office is being immediately restructured and 63 people are losing their jobs this week. Gift vouchers will be honoured only while stock remains available.