The NZX 50 sharemarket index has had a strong 2014, growing by more than 17 percent over the year.
Orion Health's Ian McCrae rings the NZX's bell as the software company launches on the sharemarket in November 2014. Photo: RNZ / Nona Pelletier
That was largely thanks to rising confidence in the economy and an injection of $6.6 billion worth of new share capital.
The index closed for the year on 5568 points yesterday, an increase of 17.5 percent over the year.
It is the third year in a row of double digit growth.
Earlier in the week, the index had a record high closing of 5577.
The Australian 200 index is expected to have a marginal gain of 1 percent for the year, compared to 15 percent growth over the past two years.
Share prices in the United States, meanwhile, are ending the year near an all-time high.
The main Dow Jones index has gained about 8 percent over the last year.
Markets here are closed today and tomorrow.