Northland business confidence has been improving for a while but now the figures are there to back up the optimism, with the region seeing its best economic performance in nine years.
The ANZ Bank Regional Business Trends report released yesterday shows the strength of the latest six-month lift in economic activity in Northland, as well as the region recording five consecutive quarters of growth, has not been matched since 2004.
The figures have been greeted with glee by Northland's business community, with commercial building consents up 302 per cent in the past year; new car sales up 47 per cent and rural real estate sales up 29.3 per cent in the same period.
ANZ Economist Steve Edwards said Northland and the West Coast shared the honour of the highest quarterly increase in economic activity in the December quarter, increasing 2.4 per cent.
Northland Chamber of Commerce boss Tony Collins said business confidence had been increasing for a year or so but that optimism wasn't alway backed up with facts. The chamber's quarterly survey on business confidence was to be released shortly and that would show even more optimism.