Inflation may have stayed relatively benign in the fourth quarter as a strong kiwi dollar provided a check on imported prices, while food prices weakened, giving the central bank little urgency to raise interest rates.

The dismal holiday weather hasn't been kind to some businesses - but others can't stop smiling. Michael Dickison reports on the winners and losers of our damp start to summer

New electronic spending stats show a healthy 4.7 per cent rise in retail spending across New Zealand in the first 20 days of December when compared to last year.

Financial pressures are causing shoppers more stress this Christmas compared with last year, but crowded shopping malls are a greater cause for concern, a survey says.

New Zealand consumers are feeling the heat of global economic conditions, with optimism falling for a fourth month in the lead-up to the important Xmas shopping period.

New Zealanders wound back spending on credit and debit cards in November as the hangover from the Rugby World Cup spending binge set in a month before Christmas.