Retail spending on New Zealanders' plastic cards slips

Shopping purchases by New Zealanders on their credit and debit cards fell across the board last month, the government statistics agency said Friday.

Total retail spending using electronic cards was 4.7 billion NZ dollars (3.59 billion U.S. dollars) in August, up 3.7 percent from August last year, according to Statistics New Zealand.

However, retail spending fell by 0.4 percent from July, which saw a 0.2-percent rise from June.

Year on year, the only decrease was in the fuel industry, which was down 6.1 percent.

"The lower fuel price means people are spending less at the pumps," business indicators senior manager Neil Kelly said in a statement.

However, five of the six retail industries fell from July, while one remained unchanged.

The largest decreases were for hospitality and consumables, which had both seen increases in spending in recent months.

The hospitality industry includes accommodation, bars, cafes and restaurants, and takeaway retailing, while consumables includes grocery and liquor retailing.

Core retail spending, which excludes the vehicle-related industries, fell by 0.6 percent in August, after a 0.6 percent increase in July.

Trends for retail spending had generally been rising since 2002, but appeared to be easing in recent months. Endit