Kiwis spending more on cars, hardware, garden supplies despite covid
Christchurch - Despite the covid pandemic, New Zealanders spent more money on cars, hardware and garden supplies and electrical items in the fourth quarter of last year.
They all played a big part in the rise of total retail values in the December 2020 quarter after the spending surge in the third quarter of 2020, Stats NZ says.
On year-on-year figures, total retail sales rose 4.9 percent ($1.3 billion) in December 2020 quarter, with especially higher spending on motor vehicles, with sales increasing 12 percent ($412 million), despite some price increases for new models.
Hardware, building and garden supplies, jumped 16 percent ($388 million) and electrical and electronic goods up 19 percent ($214 million), compared with the December 2019 quarter.
The strong housing market and continued household improvements have kept consumer demands high for the hardware and garden supplies sales.
The fuel retailing industry fell 10 percent ($241 million) compared with the same period in 2019. This includes the impact of price changes.
Canterbury was the only South Island region to report a notable increase, up 4.8 percent ($162 million). Otago had the largest fall, down 7.5 percent ($111 million) followed by West Coast, down 14 percent ($26 million).
The total North Island regions rose 6.2 percent ($1.3 billion) in the December 2020 quarter, with Auckland up 5.0 percent ($507 million), followed by Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Wellington region.
Lisa was born in Auckland at the start of the 1970s, living in a small campsite community on the North Shore called Browns Bay. She spent a significant part of her life with her grandparents, often hanging out at the beaches. Lisa has many happy memories from those days at Browns Bay beach, where fish were plentiful on the point and the ocean was rich in seaweed. She played in the water for hours, going home totally “sun-kissed.” “An adorable time to grow up,” Lisa tells me.
Lisa enjoyed many sports; she was a keen tennis player and netballer, playing in the top teams for her age right up until the family moved to Wellington. Lisa was fifteen years old, which unfortunately marked the end of her sporting career. Local teams were well established in Wellington, and her attention was drawn elsewhere.