Tourism is edging closer to dairy as New Zealand's top export earner with a 17 per cent boost to nearly $12 billion in the past year.

World dairy prices were down 3.1 per cent in the latest overnight auction.

Farm prices are falling, but spring and a slow turnaround in the dairy industry is boosting morale.

We continue to live well beyond our means, and are likely to do so to an even greater degree in the coming years - hence our perennial need to borrow from overseas, writes Bryan Gould.

There's big trade news coming out of the EU.

Labour has been pivotal in shifting public opinion, shifting its own position last year from a pro starting point to a neutral one.

Dairy prices were up for the fourth time in a row in the latest world dairy auction. Why?

Editorial: Dairy products might not have gained much easier access to Japan and North America but agricultural exports are firmly in the agreement.

FRAN O'SULLIVAN: Geneva has the WTO. Brussels hosts the European Union. Will the Trans-Pacific Partnership put Auckland on the map?

The agreement provides for the complete elimination of tariffs on New Zealand's exports to TPP nations, but with only partial liberalisation of the dairy trade.

The TPP could be improved after a few years, Trade Minister Tim Groser has said, acknowledging NZ lost against powerful forces that limited dairy sector rewards.

Q & A: Why is this trade agreement such a big deal?

The TPP outcome differs from what its opponents had predicted, says lobbyist Charles Finny.

New Zealand and 11 other countries strike Pacific trade pact - a deal that will affect 40 per cent of world's economy.

This week's GlobalDairyTrade auction is shaping up to be another strong one.

Ministers can't make blanket refusals to release documents the High Court at Wellington has been told.

The process around the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is coming under judicial review in the High Court today.

Now is the time for Auckland's first- home buyers to pounce, with interest rates at a record low and entry-level prices dropping, a report says.

Dairy giant announces improved profit just days after increased the number of jobs it was cutting to 750.

If an investment fund started buying up NZ dairy farms and dairy factories and wanted to staff them with workers imported from low wage countries this should ring alarm bells, writes Peter Lyons.

New Zealand is 'holding our ground' in the TPP talks, says Tim Groser, but there isn't any gold plated dairy deal on the way.

Low dairy prices have continued to weigh heavily on farmer sentiment, according to Rabobank's Rural Confidence Survey.

Our economy grew - but less than expected in the second quarter of the year, as agriculture and mining recovered.

Does this morning's big jump in world dairy prices mean an increased payout for farmers? There might be a long way to go.

Silver Fern Farms, the country's biggest meat processor, says its is forming a 50/50 joint partnership with Chinese investors.