Successful Auckland businesses bring wealth, jobs and employment to our local communities. The Westpac Auckland Business Awards season for 2015 has seen outstanding businesses step up to the podium to stand in the spotlight.

Gail Kelly collected nearly $12.8 million for her final four months work as Australian chief executive of Westpac.

The A$30 billion combined annual cash profit reported by Australasia's big four banking giants is an eye-popping figure by anyone's measure.

Inflation is likely to undershoot the Reserve Bank's forecast in 2016 because of an unexpectedly strong kiwi dollar Westpac Banking Corp economists say.

Westpac New Zealand expects Auckland's heated housing market to cool following regulatory changes.

But shine of record earnings dulled by news of slower growth.

Journalist Nicky Hager has spoken of the "privacy breach" which saw police getting his personal banking information from Westpac without any legal order.

October 2015 may just be remembered as the month when the great Australian housing boom came to an end.

A handful of farmers are refusing to settle or take a payout from the big banks that sold them controversial 'interest rate swaps'.

Westpac has retained the lucrative contract for the bulk of the Government's banking services.

Westpac's CEO is planning to invest an extra A$200m a year in digital initiatives to boost the bank's customer numbers, as well as drive down costs.

State-owned bank now offering six-month rates of 5.19 per cent - and 4.59 per cent for a two-year term.

Auckland could take another 86,400 dwellings in the next eight years without any risk of over-building.

The country's economic outlook may have softened but the Westpac Bank is still positive about its own situation, says its chief executive David McLean.

Downbeat economic commentary continued to flow yesterday, with Westpac saying it expects New Zealand's annual GDP growth to dip below 2 per cent, while ANZ's Truckometer is pointing to a clear....

Union chief says he received a tip that hundreds of Westpac staff face losing their jobs.

Things are still looking healthy for New Zealand's banks, despite a fall in lending margins at the start of this year.

Mortgage rates have dropped again. SBS Bank is offering a 4.85 per cent rate for an 18-month term - the lowest deal around.

New Zealand is enjoying 3.2 per cent economic growth and 0.1 per cent inflation, the statisticians tell us, but Bank of New Zealand economists warn we could see those numbers switch.

New Zealanders grew more downcast about the state of the labour market in the second quarter, with a softer outlook for wage growth weighing on confidence.

The former New Zealand boss of JPMorgan Chase will need to bring any claim against the bank in the District or High Court.

The account surplus was larger-than-expected in the first quarter as spending by tourists widened the services balance.

Is the Govt really getting double the amount of dividends from its sold down power companies?

ASB has followed the lead of ANZ and Kiwibank and slashed its fixed mortgage rates.

Westpac could join a mortgage-rate battle after Kiwibank and ANZ slashed their home loan rates.

KiwiSaver providers are struggling to move savers out of the default funds despite a requirement by the Government to give people more information on their choices.