It has been a busy end of year for Finance Minister Bill English.
This week he issued the Budget policy statement and released Treasury's half-year fiscal update.
The Capital Markets Development Taskforce released its recommendations, which included increasing access to capital for businesses, partially privatising state assets and addressing tax incentives that cause distortions in the local capital market.
The 2025 Taskforce recently reported, with the Government saying its recommendations were a step too far for New Zealand.
However, the Government maintains the goal of being in step economically with Australia by 2025.
As well as responding to the Capital Markets report, the Government would receive the Tax Working Group report and the first National Infrastructure Plan early next year.
"Both should make interesting reading," Mr English said.
"The Tax Working Group report, which we are expecting to receive in January, will look at fiscally neutral ways to improve New Zealand's tax system.
"The Government will consider the report seriously and signal any changes - if there is a sufficiently compelling case - in Budget 2010."
For any change to happen, there would have to be clear benefits because if the tax rules were shifted significantly, within the existing tax take, that affected everyone, he said.
The infrastructure plan would be a stock take of New Zealand's existing infrastructure and planning.
Evidence showed that good roads, a reliable electricity grid and faster broadband could improve productivity, Mr English said.
"The aim of the plan is to identify strategic gaps and start a dialogue with the sector and public about the best way to fill them."
Asked for the top three things he would like to see implemented by the Government by this time next year, Mr English put the move to national standards in schools at the top of his list.
He was sure the widely-voiced fears by some sectors of society would not be realised.
At number two was getting large infrastructure projects under way.
Some problems, such as in KiwiRail, were deep seated, but he hoped that within 12 months, some progress would be made for the Government-owned rail company.
His third aim was to have a "really good go" at changing the tax system to help develop a stronger economy.
"But that has yet to be tested."
The Budget spending allocations had already been completed, clearing the way for work on the economy, Mr English said.
"It means we don't spend three or four months competing for money. We can focus on the next steps to lift economic performance."
The updated forecasts from Treasury showed a better economic outlook than the Budget this year.
The recession was not as deep as originally feared, and growth was expected to be slightly stronger over the next four years.
"Rebalancing" was a word used often by Mr English during the interview with the Otago Daily Times.
He wants to to see a stronger economy, growing exports and businesses taking on new staff.
Supporting jobs had been the Government's focus for most of the year and from his perspective, the most heartening news in the fiscal update was that 64,000 fewer jobs were now forecast to be lost from the economy than predicted in the Budget, Mr English said.
But the bad news was that reduced business profits and a lower tax take meant the improved outlook did not immediately flow into the Government's accounts.
"Our fiscal position remains challenging. We face another six years of deficits, and the amount we need to borrow in the next four years has only slightly reduced from $250 million a week to $240 million a week."
Central and local government faced some challenges, of doing more with the same amount of money, he said.
Some government departments faced two or three years without funding increases.
There were some parts of the New Zealand that were showing signs of an improving economy, but the rest of the economy was patchy.
Mr English recently opened the new Escea factory, in Dunedin, at the end of a recession, which showed confidence in the future.
"Other businesses have been stretched. Their creditors won't pay and they need a larger overdraft.
"Those business have thought about being more productive but they need a lift in the economy to get them through."
The Government had to play its part and provide the right environment for businesses to operate while realising it could not solve everyone's problems, he said.
"They need the confidence the policies will help them."
