Hawke's Bay nation-topping spending momentum has extended to the whole of December, according to Paymark figures.
Through the early part of the month Hawke's Bay was the region with the biggest growth in retail spending according to the company that processes 76 per cent of electronic transactions.
Spending was up 10.9 per cent on December last year, ahead of Bay of Plenty on 9.9 per cent and Otago on 9.5 per cent. The national increase was 6.6 per cent.
Leading the charge, with a 20.8 per cent increase, was the region's accommodation sector, followed by food and beverage on 16.1 per cent and electrical and electronic retailing at 12.6 per cent, but all sectors reported strong earnings.
Hawke's Bay Tourism general manager Annie Dundas said the organisation focused extra funding on continual marketing last year which looked to be "paying off", as well as a national upswing in tourism numbers.