New Zealanders lifted retail spending on credit and debit cards last month, adding to signs an accelerating economy is making consumers more confident to open their wallets. Total electronic card transactions at retailers rose 0.6 percent, seasonally adjusted, in December from November and were up 5.5 percent compared to December 2012, according to Statistics New Zealand. Core retailing rose 0.9 …

New Zealand business confidence climbed to a 20-year high in the fourth quarter, lifting expectations for profits, hiring and investments, and raising the prospects for inflation to start to accelerate. A net 52 percent of businesses were optimistic in the December quarter, seasonally adjusted, the highest since June 1994 and up from 33 percent three months earlier, which was itself …

Diligent Board Member Services, the governance software developer, said sales growth slowed in the last three months of 2013, and it has decided to speed up its expansion plans in Europe. The New York-based company added 145 net new clients in the three months ended Dec. 31, compared to 193 a year earlier. It lifted its cash balance US$8.7 million …