By Tom Westbrook SINGAPORE (Reuters) -Chinese shares slumped and commodities were struggling to find a footing on Wednesday as investors tempered expectations for a robust Chinese economic recovery, while a downbeat outlook from New Zealand's central bank sent the kiwi to a seven-week low.

"The strong showing today is not a big surprise as the Chinese bourses are probably playing catch-up after both the Hang Seng Tech Index in Hong Kong and the Golden Dragon Index in the U.S. surged by over 10% in the first week of October when Chinese markets were closed for the Golden Week holidays.

The government has fired up investors by encouraging banks to lend more to buyers of stocks and real estate, but officials refrained on Tuesday from promising more stimulus.