Feb 22 (Reuters) - S&P Global Ratings on Monday raised New Zealand’s foreign and local currency sovereign credit ratings by one notch to ‘AA+/A-1+’ and ‘AAA/A-1+’ respectively, saying that the country is recovering quicker than most advanced economies from the impact of COVID-19. "We now believe that the government"s credit metrics can withstand potential damage from negative shocks to the economy", the rating agency noted bit.ly/2MeHVAw, adding that the country has been able to contain the spread of COVID-19 better than most others.