New Zealand credit card spending swung back into positive territory at the start of 2026, signaling a recovery in consumer activity after a weak end to last year. Year-on-year spending rose 1.0% in January 2026, a notable improvement from the 0.2% decline recorded in December 2025.
The data, updated on 23 February 2026, compare each month’s change with the same month a year earlier. The shift from a negative 0.2% reading in December to a 1.0% gain in January suggests that household demand has strengthened, potentially easing concerns about a more prolonged soft patch in consumer-driven sectors of the New Zealand economy.
