John Armstrong writes: NZ First is marooned in a time bubble of the economic boom of the 1950s along with the suffocating social conformity of that era.

Fonterra's board will meet on Friday to review the farmgate milk price.

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.

In simple terms it appears that NZ will need to pay more for our medicines in return for the possibility of greater access for our agricultural products to the other countries, writes Peter Lyons.

The rock star is not well. Probably it's nothing to worry about, just that sniffle. But we can all do our bit to get it back on the road, writes Toby Manhire.

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.

John Key admits downside to Trans Pacific Partnership but says this is unlikely to affect consumers.

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.

Welfare rolls have increased for the first time in a June quarter since 2010, confirming other signs of that New Zealand's economic growth is slowing.

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.

The New Zealand dollar dropped to a six-year low after a surprisingly sharp slump in dairy prices fuelled concerns about the broader economy.

Chief Theo Spierings admits news unsettling for staff as co-op tries to reduce its payroll bill by up to $60m a year.

Liam Dann says axing 523 jobs may make financial sense to Fonterra's chiefs but the dairy slump is bigger than that.

Fonterra's board will consider its current farm gate milk price forecast for 2015/6 at its next meeting on August 7, a spokesman for the co-operative said.

Dairy prices have plunged in the latest world dairy auction, taking the Kiwi dollar down with it.

Auckland is well placed to take advantage of growing global economic uncertainty to accelerate the city’s big projects, writes Michael Barnett.

Five months of negotiations in which its Government destroyed goodwill among creditors that have lent it hundreds of billions of dollars have cost Greece dearly.

The surplus and its final size will not be known until October. But yesterday's figures effectively guarantee there will be one, writes John Armstrong.

"It's pretty negative, there's a lot of selling in the futures and there's not much buying - this market looks completely stuffed."

Business confidence has fallen to a three-year low, led by regions like Waikato, Canterbury and Southland particularly exposed to the dairy sector.

NZX dairy futures pricing continues to point to more weakness in the whole milk powder market, following on from the sharp decline at last week's GlobalDairyTrade auction.

A new exhibition of tourism posters in Rotorua shows how New Zealand has changed - and not changed - the way we sell ourselves to the world.

Finance Minister Bill English has denied falling dairy prices pose a risk to New Zealand, saying the dairy industry is a smaller part of the economy than most people think.