The busy Christmas period combined with easing Covid-19 restrictions helped to increase card spending in December 2021, Stats NZ says.

After adjusting for seasonal effects, total credit and debit card spending in December 2021 increased by $157 million (1.9 per cent) compared with November 2021.

'As Covid-19 restrictions eased in December across most of the country, New Zealanders had access to a wider range of products and services, such as hairdressers and personal care services, that they could spend their money on,” says business performance manager Ricky Ho.

Compared with last month, seasonally adjusted total retail card spending rose $24 million (0.4 percent), and spending on services increased by $47 million (16.6 per cent).

Within the retail industries, the fuel industry had the highest increase from last month, rising $23 million (4.2 per cent).

'The increase in spending on fuel is not surprising, as the easing of restrictions and opening of the Auckland border allowed more people to go on holiday over the Christmas break,” says Ho.

'Though there has been an overall increase in spending from the last few months, we are still recovering from the effects of the latest lockdown.”

Spending on durables in December dropped $128 million (7.2 per cent), likely due to higher spending in November which coincided with Black Friday sales.

In actual terms, total card spending was $9.8 billion, up $324 million (3.4 per cent) from December 2020.

Spending was up across all industries except for hospitality, which was down $82 million (6.9 per cent).

The number of transactions across all industries in December 2021 was 168 million (down 5.5 percent from the same month in 2020), with an average value of $58 per transaction.

December 2021 quarter

Seasonally adjusted retail spending in the December 2021 quarter increased $1.2 billion (7.5 per cent), with total spending increasing $1.4 billion (6.9 per cent) from the September 2021 quarter. Spending in all categories increased compared with the September quarter, except for consumables.

'The September quarter was more heavily impacted by higher Covid-19 restrictions, so the increase in spending this quarter is not surprising. As restrictions eased throughout the country, more Kiwis were able to shop and spend more at a wider range of businesses in the lead-up to Christmas.”

Values are only available at the national level and are not adjusted for price changes.