Retail card spending rose $171 million (2.6 percent) in January 2023 compared with December 2022 when adjusted for seasonal effects, Stats NZ said today.
| Month | Actual | Seasonally adjusted |
| Jan-20 | 5891439000 | 5857586000 |
| Feb-20 | 5691140000 | 5899959000 |
| Mar-20 | 5651491000 | 5631849000 |
| Apr-20 | 2870608000 | 2968293000 |
| May-20 | 5188203000 | 5283307000 |
| Jun-20 | 5701230000 | 6097875000 |
| Jul-20 | 5968957000 | 6182015000 |
| Aug-20 | 5438997000 | 5718031000 |
| Sep-20 | 5734401000 | 6075898000 |
| Oct-20 | 6250722000 | 6058850000 |
| Nov-20 | 6256029000 | 6029663000 |
| Dec-20 | 7459526000 | 6014489000 |
| Jan-21 | 6005676000 | 5993660000 |
| Feb-21 | 5391444000 | 5840046000 |
| Mar-21 | 5937346000 | 5886977000 |
| Apr-21 | 5989711000 | 6165944000 |
| May-21 | 6129789000 | 6283041000 |
| Jun-21 | 5930914000 | 6329881000 |
| Jul-21 | 6252189000 | 6421869000 |
| Aug-21 | 4821625000 | 5119840000 |
| Sep-21 | 4878099000 | 5127636000 |
| Oct-21 | 5774430000 | 5632070000 |
| Nov-21 | 6436912000 | 6186597000 |
| Dec-21 | 7770984000 | 6214801000 |
| Jan-22 | 6346436000 | 6390129000 |
| Feb-22 | 5449256000 | 5910175000 |
| Mar-22 | 5910254000 | 5843562000 |
| Apr-22 | 6113927000 | 6271217000 |
| May-22 | 6171502000 | 6390002000 |
| Jun-22 | 6042842000 | 6406012000 |
| Jul-22 | 6221006000 | 6434204000 |
| Aug-22 | 6116981000 | 6460212000 |
| Sep-22 | 6270883000 | 6546190000 |
| Oct-22 | 6734272000 | 6603465000 |
| Nov-22 | 6895341000 | 6623164000 |
| Dec-22 | 8146272000 | 6467991000 |
| Jan-23 | 6515834000 | 6638507000 |
Seasonally adjusted retail card spending, as well as total card spending increased in January 2023 following a fall in December 2022. The rise in retail spending was led by an $80 million (5.1 percent) increase in the durables category, which includes items such as furniture, hardware, and appliances.
“The increase in spending on durables came after decreases in November and December last year,” business performance manager Ricky Ho said.
The largest contributor to the rise in total seasonally adjusted card spending was the non-retail excluding services category, which increased $149 million (7.8 percent). This category includes transport; travel agents and other tour services; and schools and tertiary education.
| Industry (ANZSIC06) | $ |
| Consumables | -7140000 |
| Durables | 80290000 |
| Apparel | 13467000 |
| Motor vehicles excl. fuel | 1504000 |
| Fuel | -14466000 |
| Non-retail excl. services | 148994000 |
| Services | 6077000 |
In actual terms, retail card spending increased $169 million (2.7 percent) in January 2023 compared with January 2022. Spending in the hospitality category rose by $187 million (16.6 percent) compared with the same month last year. The hospitality category includes accommodation and food services.
“The higher spending on hospitality this month reflects fewer COVID-19-related travel restrictions compared with January 2022,” Ho said. “The opening of the border in the middle of last year meant more overseas tourists were able to visit New Zealand.”
Values are only available at the national level and are not adjusted for price changes.
Electronic card transaction data covers the use of credit and debit cards in shops and online, and includes both the retail and services industries.
