The country's trade deficit was smaller than expected in July as exports of fruit and meat drove overseas sales higher.

Investment bank says there is a 25 to 30 per cent risk of New Zealand's economy going into recession in the next 12 months.

Wholemilk powder prices rallied by 19.1 per cent at this morning's GlobalDairyTrade auction.

Finance Minister Bill English won't rule out state farming company Landcorp having to sell more farms than usual to ensure it is not too loaded with debt.

Our senior business leaders are becoming increasingly concerned about the slowing economy, the Government's strategy and our reliance on China and dairy exports.

Downbeat economic commentary continued to flow yesterday, with Westpac saying it expects New Zealand's annual GDP growth to dip below 2 per cent, while ANZ's Truckometer is pointing to a clear....

Finance Minister Bill English said today the Government would not be offering special financial support to dairy farmers in trouble because of low prices.

The number of mortgagee sales has jumped nationwide in the past quarter as worsening economic conditions and lower dairy payouts hit parts of provincial New Zealand.

New Zealand's listed companies are expected to present solid results to the market in the coming months but analysts are predicting cautious outlooks.

$4.55 swing in forecast milk price paid to farmers over two seasons shows there's something wrong with NZ's dairy model, says Landcorp Farming CEO Steve Carden.

Paparimu dairy farmer Craig Maxwell says farmers are worried about the survival of their farms.

The country's biggest exporter has lowered its price from a previous forecast of $5.25 following sharp falls in whole milk powder prices.

A drop in the price of milk on supermarket shelves could be in store for New Zealanders - but not anytime soon, says supermarket chain Countdown.

Fonterra is expected to announce a sharp reduction in its farmgate milk price today.

DairyNZ says New Zealand milk production is expected to fall by 2 or 3 per cent this season as farmers focus on improving the efficiency of their farming systems.

Whole milk powder prices have dropped to their lowest level since 2008, putting more downward pressure on Fonterra's farmgate milk price forecast and reinforcing the market view that the Reserve Bank will cut interest rates twice this year to partly compe

Whole milk powder prices - key to determining Fonterra's farmgate mik price, dropped by 10.3 per cent overnight.

Our fruit trade has become a heavy hitter as an export, helping to at least partly offset weakness in the dairy and forest products sectors.

The tide has turned on the economic boom. The slump in dairy prices has once again laid bare the vulnerabilities of a commodity-dominated economy.

As milk prices fall, farmers keep waiting for the cycle to turn. But what if Fonterra's problems are longer term, asks Jamie Gray.

International investors from Europe, the United States and Australia are likely to consider buying more New Zealand dairy farms, says an expert.

Pressure is building on Fonterra chief executive Theo Spierings as the dairy industry faces up to a winter of discontent, writes Liam Dann.

Having its main office in Auckland is a big part of the dairy giant's problem, writes Brian Gaynor.

A key industry is suffering, but other economic signs paint a happier picture, writes Brian Fallow.

BNZ has lowered its 2015/16 milk price forecast for Fonterra but says it expects dairy prices to recover late this year.

Open Country has told its farmers that their forecast payout has been cut back due to slumping world dairy prices.

NZX dairy futures prices are trading at a discount to the physical market in the aftermath of a worse-than-expected GDT auction.

Dairy giant Fonterra cut 523 jobs yesterday - in a bid to cut its payroll bill by up to $60 million a year - on a day of bad news for the economy.

Hundreds of Fonterra employees and thousands of its farmer-shareholders have been dealt the twin blows of impending job losses and the prospect of a much lower farmgate milk price.