A new report measuring economic activity has found the South Island inching ahead of the North, with the Canterbury rebuild also reflected in the numbers.
The South recorded a 0.8 percent lift in the final quarter of 2011, while the North went up by just 0.1 percent.
The National Bank report found the largest quarterly gain was recorded in Manawatu/Whanganui.
Business commentator Bernard Hickey told RadioLIVE's Marcus Lush there was also a 15 percent rise in the number of dwelling approvals in Christchurch.
"Partly because of the earthquake rebuild, which is starting to happen. A lot of the activity is in Christchurch and around Canterbury… a lot of people are moving house, and that tends to get people spending money."
The report found that the West Coast recorded the largest reduction in economic activity in December.
RadioLIVE