Stories by Patrick O'Meara

Some borrowers would be unable to pay for food and power if mortgage rates rise to 7 percent, potentially triggering a housing collapse, says the Reserve Bank.

New Zealand's financial system has a clean bill of health, with fears over high house prices and dairy debt reduced but still under scrutiny, the Reserve Bank says.

The number of building consents for new homes has fallen for the second month in a row, which is being put down to the timing of Easter.

Workers made redundant are less likely to be in work than their counterparts five years later, and earn about 20 percent less, a study has found.

The Treasury is forecasting growth will rise from 3.1 percent to peak at 3.8 percent in 2019, but warns of global threats.

Analysis - Despite presenting a set of government books that would make other countries envious, Steven Joyce's first Budget will be a balancing act, Patrick O'Meara writes.

New Zealand has posted its largest monthly trade surplus in more than two years as exports and imports hit new highs for April.

The Labour Party is promising to add full employment to the Reserve Bank's mission, alongside low inflation.

Workers who find new jobs after being laid off are considerably worse off, and more should be done to help them, a new report has found.

The number of exporters has fallen by more than a tenth over the last five years, but the value of exports has risen.

Spending on research and development in New Zealand has risen, but continues to lag globally.

The Resource Management Act should be scrapped and replaced with one law that covers both housing and the environment, a report says.

Loans to investors fell to $1.15 billion in February - a third lower than a year ago - following lending rules brought in last year.

Consumer confidence has edged back but households remain upbeat about the economy and their financial position.

A breathable wrap that makes a cut avocado last four days, rather than go brown, is one invention that may not have otherwise happened.

The economy has expanded at a slower pace than the previous quarter, as lower dairy production weighed on growth, official figures show.

The difference between what the country earned and spent internationally has narrowed, in part thanks to the tourism boom.

Charities are being told they may need to merge to survive and prosper, after a report found there are more not-for-profits per capita in New Zealand than many other western nations.

The government's operating surplus stood at $1,145 million for the seven months to January, well up on the $442m forecast.

The law firm at the centre of the Panama Papers scandal has severed its ties with New Zealand.

New Zealand's purchasing power with the rest of the world has rebounded to its highest level since June 2014.

The government has defended its Gisborne regional development plans from accusations it needs to intervene more.

Tougher disclosure rules are on the way as the government attempts to end perceptions, fuelled by the Panama Papers, that New Zealand is a tax haven.

Some banks are questioning whether deposits are falling out of favour with New Zealanders after a report by KPMG found home loans grew 8 percent last year, but deposits, which fund them, failed to…