The New Zealand dollar is heading for a 2.1 percent weekly gain against the greenback after the local currency jumped to a three-week high yesterday when investors reassessed whether the US Federal Reserve will start slowing down its money printing programme. The kiwi rose as high as 79.68 US cents this week, trading at 78.68 cents at 5pm in Wellington …

The Productivity Commission has New Zealand’s regulatory regimes in its sights with the launch of an inquiry aiming to improve the design and operation of the nation’s watchdogs and rule-makers. Finance Minister Bill English and Regulatory Reform Minister John Banks want the commission look across the diversity of the country’s regulatory system with a view to draw conclusions and recommendations …

New Zealand’s annual inflation may have returned to 14-year lows in the second quarter as a record high currency weighed on prices of imported clothing, competition drove down telecommunications costs and fuel costs fell. The consumer price Index rose 0.3 percent in the second quarter for an annual pace of 0.8 percent, according to a Reuters survey of 10 economists …