Opus International Consultants, the engineering firm with one of four mandates to lead design the Christchurch rebuild, has reported a 2.6 per cent decline in annual profit.
Net profit fell to $NZ22.8 million ($A21.31 million) in the 12 months ended December 31, from $NZ23.4m a year earlier, the Wellington-based company said in a statement on Monday.
Opus's interest costs rose 28 per cent to $NZ3.7m in the year, while its tax expense climbed 36 per cent to $NZ10.2m. Revenue rose 12 per cent to $NZ462.9m.
Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) gained 14 per cent to $NZ34.3m.
Opus's New Zealand unit reported a 1.1 per cent lift in revenue to $NZ285.5 million while EBIT fell 12 per cent to $NZ26.9 million.
The Australian business showed a 3.3 per cent fall in sales to $NZ75.9 million, while turning an EBIT profit of $NZ656,000 compared to a loss of $NZ897,000 a year earlier.
The UK unit boosted sales 59 per cent to $NZ39.2 million, and turned profitable on an EBIT basis with earnings of $NZ635,000.
The Canadian unit, which incorporated the new Stewart Weir business, more than doubled sales to $NZ58.9 million, while EBIT surged 375 per cent to $NZ6.1 million.
"Despite ongoing constraints on local government spending, business confidence is rising sharply and indicators point to a range of opportunities in the marketplace," chief executive David Prentice said.
"We need to be nimble and astute to ensure we realise these while also driving continuous, improvement in all aspects of the business."
The board declared a final dividend of 3.9 NZ cents per share, down from 4.9 NZ cents a year earlier. That takes the annual return to 7.9 NZ cents.
The company's shares fell 3.3 per cent to $NZ2.08.
