Official figures show consumer spending has now been slowing for a full year, as car sales dwindle.
Statistics New Zealand figures shows retail spending fell 1.1% in the December quarter, the biggest quarterly fall since March 1997.
The biggest falls were in the total sales value of fuel and cars.
However, the value of core retailing, which excludes vehicle-related industries rose 0.6%, with the biggest rise from the supermarket and grocery sector.
