Canterbury quake victims will be allowed to withdraw money from their KiwiSaver schemes, Commerce Minister Simon Power says.

Labour has called the Govt's revised $1.2b South Canterbury Finance bill a "disaster of epic proportions", saying Finance Minister Bill English "grossly mishandled" the situation and should resign as a result.

A survey of small to medium businesses has found nearly half of them were hit with bad debts last year.

Property developer David Henderson averted bankruptcy this morning to allow him and his creditors time to discuss another proposal that could stop Inland Revenue's application.

Prime Minister John Key was called a liar when he fronted a meeting in Timaru last night packed with vocal Allan Hubbard supporters. The PM was forced to defend the Govt's handling of South Canterbury Finance to a bositrous 500-strong crowd

The Government is being accused of taking a slash and burn approach to spending after Finance Minister Bill English signalled cuts to public services and new figures showed substantial job losses in the sector.

One of the accidental millionaires, Kara Hurring, has appeared in court and will fight eight charges of money laundering and one charge of theft of $6,782,000 from Westpac Bank in 2009.

The receivers of Equitable Mortgages say it's too soon to say how much of the property lender's $188.4m worth of loans they are likely to recover.

Hanover wife says she has proof she was misquoted by the Sunday Star-Times.

In a potential blow for the 9,000 investors in failed property financier St Laurence, Bluestone has withdrawn from talks to buy two contracts to manage Irongate Property from the receiver Deloitte.