Kiwis spent more in the final month of 2024 in positive news for retailers who were relying on it to meet their end-of-year targets, Stats NZ data has revealed. 

Spending in retail industries in December 2024 increased by 2% ($130 million) compared with November. 

Spending in core retail industries rose by 1.8% ($103m). 

The largest spending growth in December was in the fuel category, likely due to seasonal factors, which grew by 3.8% ($19m). 

Kiwis also spent more on apparel and durables, where spending grew by 3.1% ($10m) and 3.7% ($57m) respectively. 

Hospitality spending in December grew by 1% or $12m compared with November, while spending on consumables increased by $36m (1.4%). 

The only category with a spending decline was motor vehicles (also likely seasonal), which fell by $2.4 million (1.3%) compared with November. 

Services, including repair and maintenance, personal care, funeral and other personal services, reported spending growth of 2% ($7.4m). 

Spending in the non-retail (excluding services) category also increased in December, up by 1% ($22m) compared with November. 

That category included medical and other healthcare spending, travel and tour arrangements, postal and courier delivery, and other non-retail industries. 

The total value of electronic card spending, including the two non-retail categories (services and other non-retail), was up by $139m (1.5%) compared with November. 

In actual terms, cardholders made 183 million transactions across all industries in December 2024, with an average value of $58 per transaction. 

The total amount spent using electronic cards was $11 billion. 

December quarter 

Looking at the wider December quarter, spending in the retail industries increased by $203m (1.1%), while in the core retail industries, it grew by $231m (1.3%) compared with the September 2024 quarter. 

In good news for the hospitality sector, it reported the biggest growth over the holiday period, with spending increasing by 3.6% or $129m in the December quarter. 

Durables and consumables also reported increases, up by 2.2% ($101m) and 0.5% ($40m) respectively. 

Spending on apparel also grew in the December quarter, likely as part of holiday sales, up by 2.1% ($20m). 

The only categories to report a decline in spending during the December quarter compared to September were motor vehicles and fuel, which fell by 1.4% ($7.7m) and 1.5% ($23m) respectively. 

The non-retail (excluding services) category was down $23m (0.3%) compared with the previous quarter, and the services category was up $20m (1.8%). 

The total value of electronic card spending in the December quarter, including the two non-retail categories (services and other non-retail), increased by $193m (0.7%) compared with the September 2024 quarter. 

Tom Raynel is a multimedia business journalist for the Herald, covering small business and retail.