May 6 (Reuters) - Australian shares were flat on Thursday, as losses in banks and technology stocks offset advances made by heavyweight miners on the back of higher commodity prices.
The S&P/ASX 200 index was flat at 7,091.50 as of 0030 GMT, after advancing about 0.2% earlier in the day. It ended at a 14-month high of 7,095.8 on Wednesday.
Heavyweight miners rose 2.2% to their highest in nearly 13 years, after copper hit a fresh 10-year high overnight on signs of recovery in major economies, raising hopes of increased demand.
Global mining giants BHP Group and Rio Tinto jumped as much as 3.2% and 2.2%, respectively, with BHP being among the top three gainers in the benchmark.
Energy stocks rose about 1%, with Whitehaven Coal and Worley gaining 3.1% and 2.2%, respectively.
Tech stocks, however, tracked overnight Nasdaq Composite losses, slipping as much as 1.7%, and falling for a fifth consecutive session.
Buy-now-pay-later giant Afterpay also declined for a fifth straight session, losing as much as 3.2%, while WiseTech Global fell 1.6%.
Banks lost more than 0.5%, with all the "Big Four" banks trading in red.
The country's No. 3 lender National Australia Bank fell about 2%, despite reporting a jump in first-half profit, doubling its dividend and promising higher capital returns.
Across the Tasman Sea, New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index fell as much as 0.7% to 12,759.5.
The top percentage losers were Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp, down 3%, followed by Meridian Energy and Skellerup Holdings losing 1.8% each.
Dairy giant Fonterra laid out plans to overhaul its capital structure and allow farmers easier entry to the cooperative in a move to firm up its financial future. Its shares are halted till Friday.
In other markets, Japan's Nikkei was up 1.22% at 29,163.77, while S&P 500 E-minis futures edged down 0.01%. (Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
