Electronic card transactions in New Zealand fell by 0.8% month-on-month to NZD 6.46 billion on a seasonally adjusted basis in March 2025.
Among retail categories, spending on durables dropped 2.5%, hospitality declined 1.1%, fuel was down 2.3%, and apparel fell 2.1%.
In contrast, spending on motor vehicles rose 2.1%, while consumables edged up 0.4%.
On a year-on-year basis, total electronic card spending decreased by 1.6% in March, marking the twelfth consecutive month of annual declines—signaling a sustained downturn in consumer spending.