Finance stocks gained the most on the New Zealand exchange, rising past 2% at midday Friday.
Westpac Banking (NZE:WBC, ASX:WBC) gained nearly 3% in recent trade, reaching its highest since 2015.
On the other hand, utilities shares dropped almost 1%.
Meridian Energy (NZE:MEL, ASX:MEZ) fell nearly 1% in recent trade.