Latest Reserve Bank figures show a big change in preference for home owners in December, with floating mortgages pushed to the sidelines and longer term fixed rate mortgages coming to the fore

New Zealand secondary schools increasingly popular with overseas students, tertiary institutions not so much

Even as banks start to raise mortgage rates again, the yields on outstanding mortgages are continuing to drop, albeit slowly

Westpac senior economist Satish Ranchhod says there's been an encouraging lift in discretionary spending, with particularly large increases in spending in the hospitality sector, as well as increased sales of furnishings and other household durables