Canterbury's quake reconstruction work may have prevented the economy from contracting in the three months to September, economists say.
ANZ's latest regional trends report shows nationwide economic activity rose 0.1% in the last quarter.
ANZ economist Steve Edwards says that nationwide economic activity - excluding Canterbury - contracted 0.1%, led by Auckland.
On Monday Westpac senior economist Michael Gordon noted prices look to be picking up in the construction sector as more work gets underway in Canterbury's quake zones.
Construction cost inflation was not huge but prices were increasing, he says.
Official figures showed local producers received 0.9% less for goods in the three months to September, compared with the previous quarter, and the cost of their inputs fell 1%, led by falls in the price for electricity, dairy products and fuel.
But the construction sector experienced a rise, with prices received up 0.4%, and prices paid up 0.5%.
