Kiwibank's on its way up - as the Government deliberates next steps

The Government-owned bank's reported a 15-percent rise in after-tax net-profit - improving profitability a fifth year in a row.

On Commerce Commission prompting - talk's rumbling over sizing up Kiwibank to become competitive with the big Australian-owned banks.

Chief executive Steve Jurkovich says he'd love Kiwibank to grow and would like to see what's on the table. But he wants to maintain independence. He says Kiwibank doesn't have people to answer to in Sydney and Melbourne - and the one market it cares about is New Zealand.