Movements in the kiwi "do affect the way some of the dual-listed securities are priced - because they're listed in Australia, it tends to be the driver of some of the share prices, particularly the larger caps, because it's cheaper for Australian investors as they get priced higher in New Zealand".
Metro Performance Glass led the index, up 2.7 per cent to $1.89, a two-month high.
Tower rose 2.6 per cent to $1.385. It hit a three-week low of $1.315 on Thursday but has rebounded.
"There are a couple of large holders trying to sell that stock - Devon Funds Management filed down ... below 5 per cent, so that's probably why they've been under a bit of pressure," Stent said. "Maybe they've stopped selling ... and that's why they've bounced back up."
Trade Me gained 2.4 per cent to $5.07, a price not seen since May 2013, while Spark New Zealand advanced 2.2 per cent to $3.73.
Steel & Tube Holdings gained 1 per cent to $1.97.
Vector was the worst performer, falling 1.5 per cent to $3.36.
Argosy Property shed 1.3 per cent to $1.145, and Warehouse Group dipped 1.1 per cent to $2.78.
Outside the main index, Smartpay jumped 41 per cent to 22.5c, marking the biggest gain on the NZX's main board. Some 15,500 shares changed hands, less than a tenth of the 119,300 average daily volume over the past year.
SeaDragon gained 9.1 per cent to 1.2c. The fish oil refiner has hired Nevin Amos as its new chief executive. Amos will take over in October from interim chief executive Richard Alderton, who will remain on the board as a non-executive director.
Amos worked at Comvita, a cornerstone shareholder in SeaDragon, for nearly a decade.
