A fall in bad debts has bolstered the earnings of ANZ New Zealand, the country's largest bank.
The bank's profit rose to $735 million for the nine months to June, a 19% increase on the same period a year ago.
Excluding one-off items, including a $102 million charge from moving to a single computing system for its ANZ and National retail brands, the underlying profit jumped 45% to $916 million.
ANZ New Zealand chief executive David Hisco says the gradually improving economy has bolstered earnings.
He says increased commodity prices have meant better paychecks for people in the agricultural sector and that has helped the business across the board.
