Stats NZ has reported that seasonally adjusted debit and credit card spending rose 7 percent during April to $551 million. Compared to the previous month, spending rose 1.7 percent.
“With New Zealand moving to the Orange setting just before Easter, Kiwis could enjoy the long weekend and the school holidays with greater freedom. This is reflected in the electronic card spending data, which saw increases across all spending categories,” said business performance manager, Ricky Ho.
Spending on consumables such as groceries and liquor increased by 5.2 percent to $118 million while the apparel industry such as shoes, jewellery and clothes saw a 16.8 percent increase to $46 million. Overall core retail saw an increase of 7.4 percent.
Between March and April, total card spending on services such as repair and maintenance, personal care and funeral services rose by 6.9 percent to $21 million.
