Tell someone in an Auckland café that the economy is booming and they will laugh. Unemployment in the city is 6.1 per cent. Cafés and shops are closing their doors. Boom? What boom?

Drive through rural Canterbury or Southland, though, and you will see new farm machinery in the paddocks. Business confidence has hit multi-year highs. These regions are prospering.

To read the full article on The Australian click here.