New Zealand business confidence rose a tad in December, led by an upbeat construction sector although tighter credit conditions continued to weigh.

Buoyant residential building activity has pushed up the average price for top structural logs this year rise to the highest in more than two decades.

New Zealand's residential building consents rose for the first month in four in October, boosted by two apartment projects in Wellington.

Annual economic growth is expected to accelerate to 3.7 per cent from 3.6 per cent.

The value of residential building work put in place rose at a slower pace in the third quarter of 2016, reflecting a more modest pace in Auckland and Canterbury.

What happens to the Australian economy when the construction sector dries up?

A new image of the $850 million Commercial Bay development shows what it will look like from midtown.

New Zealand's construction boom is expected to be the single biggest driver of employment growth over the next three years.

The Commerce Commission will prosecute three firms following its investigation into seismic steel mesh.

A dearth of qualified scaffolding workers could be be a setback for the earthquake rebuild, an industry group says.

Last week's earthquake is likely to put considerable extra pressure on the nation's already stretched construction sector, says ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley.

Job advertisements rose 9.9pc in October, with the Waikato job market thriving.

Queenstown's building boom has pushed crane numbers up 600 per cent in the last few months.

Share market investors are expected to be "gun-shy" and hold off from big trades until they believe the aftershocks are over.

The New Zealand sharemarket held up well today, but the worst could be yet to come as aftershocks threaten the country.

New Zealand shares rose, led by companies that stand to benefit from earthquake repairs such as Fletcher Building and Metro Performance Glass.

The earthquake will put pressure on the construction sector and could bring further interest rate cuts, says the ASB.

With an already impressive resume, My Food Bag co-founder Theresa Gattung is at work on a fresh new venture.

Fulton Hogan chairman Mike Holloway will leave the board for health reasons at the end of the year.

New Zealand construction company Fulton Hogan has teamed up with Netherlands-based Heijmas, it was announced today.

Hawkins boss says demand for construction jobs could not be met by training alone, and it was essential for skilled migrants to fill positions.

The Chinese government will have to balance building quickly with the often-conflicting demands of transparency.

An engineer accused of bribing Auckland council staff with more than a million dollars in cash payments has taken the stand in his defence.

Building a house during Tauranga's boom is costing more and taking longer due to a shortage of tradesmen.

AWF Madison Group, the country's largest contract labour company, has bought IT recruitment group Absolute IT for $15.3 million. Absolute

New PwC report out on construction sector today calls for more Government help.

Fletcher Building has lifted the amount it plans to spend on land for housing.

An asbetos guide has been released in a bid to help halve asbestos-related deaths by 2040.

The value of building projects in the Bay of Plenty is expected to reach $1 billion this year.

The collapse of property developments in Auckland mirrors the run-up of the 2007 global financial crisis, a finance expert says.