New Zealanders spend more on plastic cards last month

New Zealanders upped their spending on debit and credit cards across the board last month, the government statistics agency said Monday.

Retail spending on electronic cards rose 1.2 percent in June compared with May 2016, following a 0.3-percent fall in May, according to Statistics New Zealand.

"For the first time in more than a year all six retail industries had increases in spending. This last occurred in March 2015," business indicators manager Clara Eatherley said in a statement.

The largest increase in June was spending on durables, which includes furniture, hardware, and appliance retailing; pharmacy, cosmetic, and toiletry retailing, followed by fuel, and then hospitality, which includes accommodation, bars, cafes and restaurants.

Core retail spending, which excludes the vehicle-related industries, rose 1 percent in June, after no change in May.

Total retail spending using electronic cards was 4.6 billion NZ dollars (3.35 billion U.S. dollars) in June, up 6.8 percent year on year.
Source:XINHUA