Kiwis" card spending rose higher last month

Tāmaki Makaurau - Seasonally adjusted debit and credit card spending rose by $551 million, a seven percent monthly increase, in April, StatsNZ says.

This is a larger increase than was seen in the previous month, when spending rose by only 1.7 percent.

With Aotearoa moving to the orange setting just before Easter, Kiwis enjoyed a 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,” StatsNZ says.

Core retail sales saw a strong increase (7.4 percent) in April. Core retail includes consumables, durables, hospitality, and apparel. The increase was mostly driven by spending on consumables, up $118 million (5.2 percent), and apparel, up $46 million (16.8 percent).

Seasonally adjusted debit and credit card spending rose by $551 million (7.0 percent) in April. This is a larger increase than was seen in the previous month, when spending rose by only 1.7 percent.

The consumables industry includes groceries and liquor, while the apparel industry includes clothing, shoes, jewellery, and watches.

The total amount of card spending on services rose by $21 million (6.9 percent) between March and April 2022. This category includes repair and maintenance and personal care, funeral, and other personal services.

In actual terms, card spending on hospitality continued to decrease, down $56 million (4.9 percent) compared with April 2021.

Total actual spending using electronic cards was $8.1 billion, up 2.9 percent from April 2021. Values are only available at the national level and are not adjusted for price changes.

Spending in the hospitality industry fell by $56 million (4.9 percent) between April 2021 and April 2022. The hospitality industry is yet to see a clear pre-covid seasonal pattern return.