The strong global economy is feeding through into solid export prices and volumes in New Zealand. Though some timing issues were likely at play, merchandise exports in December were spectacular.

The Government’s plan for growth is sensible conservative fiscal policy, strong orthodox monetary policy, and an ongoing programme of microeconomic reform that enhances the competitiveness and confidence of Kiwi businesses.

It is crucial that we pull on all three of these levers.

There is a lot of talk in the media that the current younger generation will never be able to afford to buy a home; they will simply be a generation of renters. Don’t believe it this for one second!

They may not be able to afford your home that you worked for 20 years to get, but there are a number of ways the younger generation can get into their first home without the help of mum and dad.

If you have a desire to maintain wealth and pass it on to future generations it needs to be considered sooner rather than later.

Here are some salient points and key questions to help your planning process.

Sydney may have the harbour views and Melbourne the lifestyle but new research shows Auckland is the APEC city with both - and more. 

The New Zealand city has emerged at number six overall in the Building Better Cities survey which looks at 28 cities in the Asia-Pacific Economic cooperation (APEC) region.