Retail card spending fell sharply in April, dragged down by a big fall in sales of durables such as furniture and washing machines.
Statistics New Zealand said seasonally adjusted sales using credit, debit and charge cards fell 0.7 percent after two consecutive months of rises.
Spending in four retail industries dropped, two were unchanged, while fuel sales rose 1.3 percent in April.
Total card transactions, including the services and other non-retail industries fell 1.1 percent, almost reversing the rise in March.
Core retail spending, which excludes vehicle industries fell 0.8 percent in April, after rising 0.6 percent rise in March.
