Strong growth in construction led to a 1.0 per cent rise in gross domestic product (GDP) in the March 2014 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said today.

ANZ Bank says its Truckometer indices bode well for economic growth into the second half of the year.

Business confidence has declined for the third month in a row, ANZ's Business Outlook survey has found, though optimists still outnumber pessimists nearly 10 to one

New Zealand business confidence extended its slide from a record high to a third month, in the face of rising interest rates, declining dairy prices and a persistently high kiwi dollar.

Consumer confidence fell to a seven-month low as two interest rate hikes and expectations for slower economic growth later this year sapped people's optimism.

New Zealand architects, including Auckland's much-awarded Andrew Patterson, have been critical of Australian practices winning big jobs here.

ANZ New Zealand says an improving economy and its ditching of the National Bank in favour of a single retail brand helped it achieve a 27 per cent lift in half-year cash profit to a record $887 million.

ANZ New Zealand has posted a $887 million first-half cash profit - a 27 per cent gain from a year earlier.

New Zealand consumer confidence rose in April as Kiwis became more confident about their own financial position, giving them greater enthusiasm for buying major household items.

Each year thousands of people dream about starting their own business, taking control of their lives and having more flexibility.

A Queenstown bank worker has been charged over allegations of a long-running $400,000 fraud in which money was paid into fictitious accounts.

A lawyer taking action against the big banks over penalty fees says he will now try to stretch the claims back decades rather than work with the six-year statutory limit.

Major banks are "stress-testing" mortgage borrowers to ensure they will be able to meet repayments when higher interest rates hit.

When it releases its monetary policy statement on Thursday the Reserve Bank is expected to turn up the volume on its warning that it is preparing to remove the support of ultra-low interest rates in place since the recession.

Government-owned Kiwibank is next in the gun for the group targeting banks in a lawsuit alleging they're charging unfair fees.

New Zealand's big four banks collectively made more than $3.5 billion in the last year in another record year for the sector.

The big four Australian banks made more than A$27 billion (NZT $31b) in profits in the past year, making Australasia's banking sector one of the world's most successful.

The High Court has given ANZ/ National Bank customers until December 13 to sign up to a lawsuit against the bank over fees, according to a group taking the case.

A court ruling means thousands more people could sign up to a lawsuit against the ANZ bank over fees.

One of the country's leading banks is about to start charging interest on each transaction if customers default on their payments.

In Shanghai's leafy Xintiandi there's a sight most Antipodean visitors would find very familiar.

ANZ Bank has defended its penalty fees as fair, saying they reflect extra services provided to customers whose accounts require attention over and above their banking contract.

ANZ is weighing up whether to launch action in Korea to try to get $8 million from property investor Danny Chung and his wife.