Prime Minister John Key secured China’s backing for New Zealand’s bid to win a seat on the United Nation’s Security Council during private talks with the man who is tipped as next in line to run the world’s most populous country. That was the main diplomatic take from the three-day visit by Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping that winds up in …

Trade Minister Tim Groser has chalked up a victory in New Zealand’s long quest for a free trade deal with the emerging economic powerhouse of Russia. Let’s just call it “China redux”. The smart geo-politicking by New Zealand’s bevy of trade ministers and officials over nearly a decade has paved the way for this country to form a bilateral FTA …

A restless business community responded to the 2009 survey with calls for aggressive policy to increase productivity as the country attempted to pull itself out of recession. New Prime Minister John Key rated favourably, but tensions remained between the business community and government regarding public spending and debt levels. Issues such as Public Private Partnerships, the continued movement towards Supercity …