Kiwi spending habits revealed

consumer, spending, shopping, salesPeople living in Canterbury spend the third highest amount on eating out after Auckland and Wellington, according to data gleaned from Westpac NZ.

The financial firm has drilled down into the data of over 96,000 CashNav app users and determined the spending habits and characteristics of Kiwi consumers across the country.

Westpac’s CashNav app allows customers to track their daily spending habits by categorising what they spend their money on and identifying what is holding their saving aspirations back. It also notifies them if their spending is higher than usual.

The app does this by automatically categorising customers’ EFTPOS, debit and credit card transactions into one of 12 categories such as eating out, shopping, travel, entertainment, home, groceries, transportation, utilities, education and health.

The data found that those aged 18-75 years old and living in Canterbury spend around $380 on average per month at cafes, restaurants or fast food outlets – third only to Aucklanders who spend $486 and Wellingtonians who spend $436.

In Canterbury, the biggest spenders were people aged 36-55 – they spent $453 per month compared to $366 for 18-35s and $318 for those aged 56-75 years old.

However, when it comes to who spends the most on groceries, smaller populated regions spend more at the supermarket than Cantabrians who spend $657 on average per month. Those living in Marlborough spend the most on groceries each month at $712 on average, followed by Otago on $668 and Southland on $658.

Meanwhile Hawke’s Bayers are some of the most careful spenders in the country

When it comes to spending on groceries, people living in Hawke’s Bay spend the second lowest of 13 New Zealand regions on average per month.

Westpac found that those living in Hawke’s Bay spend around $517 on average per month, beaten only by those in the Manawatu-Wanganui region who spend around $502 per month. People in Marlborough spend the most at $712 on average per month.

When broken down into age groups, millennials (18-35s) in the Hawke’s Bay spend the least on groceries when compared to millennials living in other regions, at $372 per month on average.

And in a region with an array of fine wines and dining options, people in Hawke’s Bay came in at only ninth out of 13 regions on their spending on eating out at cafes, restaurants, and at fast-food outlets.

It’s a similar story when it comes to spending on health such as gyms fees, pharmacies, make-up stores and beauty salons, with people in the Hawke’s Bay spending about $183 on average per month – nearly $100 less than people in Auckland.

“People in Hawke’s Bay appear to be keeping a close eye on their spending which is good,” said Westpac NZ GM of marketing, products and transformation, Andrew Kerr.

Bay of Plentians are more likely to splash out on entertainment compared to many other New Zealand regions, according to the data.

Those in the Bay of Plenty spend the third highest amount at around $223 on average per month at the movies, at concerts, or on gaming or gambling – beaten only by Auckland and Taranaki.

People in Marlborough spend most on groceries compared to other regions, with Westpac finding Malburians spend around $$712 on average per month at the supermarket – the highest grocery spend in the country.

When broken down into age groups, those aged 36-55 in Marlborough spend the most on groceries at around $924 while Marlborough millennials (18-35) spend $495 per month on average.

People in the Manawatu-Wanganui watch their pennies the most when it comes spending on eating out, groceries, health and entertainment, with those living in the Manawatu-Wanganui spend the least of 13 regions on groceries at around $502 on average per month – $210 less than the highest spending region, Marlborough.

People from Southland spend the third highest amount on groceries when compared to 12 other regions in New Zealand, beaten only by Marlborough and Otago respectively.

Southlanders between the ages of 18-75 spend around $658 on average per month at the supermarket but when broken down further, Southlanders aged 36-55 spend $951, 56-75s spend $697 and millennials (18-35s) spend $538.

Overall, mainlanders spend more on groceries than people in the North Island.

People living in Otago are the second highest spenders at the supermarket on average, when compared to other New Zealand regions. When the spending is broken down into the various age groups, those in Otago aged 36-55 spend around $989 per month, 56-75s spend $798 and millennials (18-35s) spend $511 on average per month.

People in Taranaki spend the second highest amount on entertainment in the country compared to other regions, according to data gleaned from Westpac NZ.

When it comes to spending on groceries, people in Taranaki spend around $601 on average per month compared to people in the Marlborough region who spend $712.

Other figures related to dining out at cafés, restaurants, and at fast-food outlets show Taranakians well down on their spending compared to other parts of the country -$151 less than Aucklanders on average.

When it comes to spending on health such as gyms fees, pharmacies, make-up stores and beauty salons, Taranakians spend the fourth highest of 13 regions at $204.

Spending habits show people in the Waikato spend more than many other regions on eating out but not as much as other parts of the country on groceries.

Those in Waikato spend around $354 on average per month at cafes, restaurants and fast-food outlets – the fourth highest in the country.

Those in the 36-55 age group in Waikato spend the most at $403, while millennials (18-35s) spend $343 – more than the 56-75s who spend $294 per month on average.

Millennials (18-35s) living in Tasman watch their pennies the most when it comes to spending on entertainment compared to millennials in other New Zealand regions. People in Tasman spend the fifth highest on groceries at $654 per month on average, but the fourth lowest on eating out at cafes, restaurants and fast-food outlets at $320 per month.

And in Auckland, those living north of the harbour bridge were spending more tucking into takeaways than other Aucklanders.

People on the North Shore spent the most satisfying their fast food cravings with an average splurge of around $75 per month. That spending rose to $84 a month for those aged 36-55.

Central/East Auckland residents spent the most in bars, on average $91 per month, followed by those on the North Shore on $85, South Auckland on $83 and West Auckland on $75.

And with the café culture of Ponsonby and Grey Lynn it may come as no surprise that Central/East Aucklanders across all age groups spent the most at cafés and restaurants – on average $194 per month, followed by North Shore on $173, South Auckland on $143 and West Auckland on $130.

“The interesting thing is that it’s not millennials eating so-called ‘smashed avocado’ – it’s the 36-55- year-old age group who’re spending the most in cafés, restaurants, bars and on fast food, followed by those aged 56-75,” said Kerr.

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