Holiday season spending uncovered
Summer 2024 – 2025

With the holiday season approaching, how are some New Zealanders organising their festive budgets?

MYOB polled over 1,000 consumers from across the country to uncover how much they plan to spend on food, drink or gifts, where or when they’ll do their shopping, what they’re buying, or where they’ll be enjoying a holiday break.

Click on different locations to learn more!

New Zealand map
Bay of Islands
  • top desired destinations 27% of Kiwis chose the Bay of Islands as a top location they want to visit but haven’t yet.
Northland
  • Travel Northland is New Zealand’s #3 domestic travel spot this summer.
  • dinner Of those polled in Northland, the average estimated spend on food & drink for the festive season = $541.
  • saving Average planned budget for gifts for consumers polled in Northland = $223.
Auckland
  • Auckland is the #1 domestic travel destination this holiday season.
  • dinner Auckland shoppers’ average predicted spend on food & drink over the festive season = $489.
  • saving Auckland shoppers’ average planned budget for gifts = $167 per person.
  • Shopping 47% of Aucklanders plan to hit the malls for most of their Christmas shopping.
  • gift Clothing or shoes are the most popular gift purchase for Auckland shoppers.
Bay of Plenty
  • planned domestic travel spots Bay of Plenty is the #2 domestic holiday hotspot this summer.
  • Food and drink Bay of Plenty shoppers’ average estimated spend on food & drink for the holiday season = $538.
  • Gift budget Bay of Plenty shoppers’ average planned budget for gifts = $203 per person.
  • shopping timing Most popular time for Christmas shopping in the Bay of Plenty = November.
  • Types of gift Clothing or shoes are the most popular gift purchase for Bay of Plenty shoppers.
Waikato
  • 15% of Kiwis plan to travel to the Waikato region over the holiday period.
  • Gift budget Waikato shoppers’ average planned gift budget = $140 per person.
  • shopping timing Most popular time for Christmas shopping in the Waikato = early December.
  • Types of gift Gift cards or vouchers are the most popular gift purchase for Waikato shoppers.
Hobbiton
  • Top desired destinations 27% of New Zealanders put Hobbiton as one of the top five attractions they would like to visit, but haven’t yet.
Manawatū-Whanganui
  • Food and drink Manawatū-Whanganui shoppers’ average predicted budget for festive season food & drink = $325.
  • Gift budget Manawatū-Whanganui shoppers’ average planned budget for gifts = $140 per person.
  • Shopping location Almost a quarter (24%) of Manawatū-Whanganui shoppers plan to purchase most of their gifts from a local New Zealand business this Christmas.
Wellington
  • planned domestic travel spots Wellington is the #6 domestic holiday destination for Kiwis.
  • Food and drink Wellingtonians’ average expected budget for holiday season food & drink = $642 (the country’s highest average).
  • shopping timing Most popular time for Christmas shopping in Wellington = early December.
  • Types of gift Gift cards or vouchers are the most popular gift purchase for Wellington shoppers.
Nelson/Marlborough
  • Food and drink Of those consumers polled in the Nelson & Marlborough regions, the average estimated spend on food & drink for the holiday season = $563.
  • Gift budget Of those polled in the Nelson & Marlborough regions, the average planned budget for gifts = $120 per person.
Hanmer Springs
  • Top desired destinations 27% of New Zealanders would like to travel to Hanmer Springs, but haven’t yet.
Canterbury
  • planned domestic travel spots New Zealand’s #4 equal most popular domestic holiday destination this summer.
  • Food and drink Cantabrians’ average estimated budget for festive food & drink = $416.
  • Gift budget Average planned spend on gifts by Canterbury shoppers = $137 per person.
  • Types of gift Food or drink is the top gift purchase for Canterbury shoppers.
Queenstown
  • Top desired destinations 1/3 of New Zealanders haven’t yet visited Queenstown but would like to do so.
Otago
  • planned domestic travel spots Just over 1-in-5 Kiwis will visit the Otago region over the summer holidays.
  • Food and drink Otago shoppers’ average expected spend on food & drink for the festive season = $371.
  • Gift budget Otago shoppers’ average planned budget for gifts = $164 per person.
  • Types of gift Gift cards or vouchers are the top gift purchase for Otago shoppers, but electronics are also more popular than average in the region.
Stewart Island/Rakiura
  • Top desired destinations Stewart Island is the #1 holiday destination Kiwis want to visit but haven’t yet.
Hawke's Bay
  • Food and drink Of those consumers polled in Hawke’s Bay, the average estimated spend on food & drink for the holiday season = $498.
  • Gift budget Of those polled in Hawke’s Bay, the average planned budget for gifts = $140 per person.
Milford Sound
  • Top desired destinations Milford Sound is the #2 (tied with Queenstown) travel destination Kiwis want to visit, but haven’t yet.
Southland
  • Food and drink Of those polled in Southland, the average estimated spend on food & drink for the festive season = $398.
  • Gift budget Average planned budget for gifts for consumers polled in Southland = $225.
Marlborough Sounds
  • Top desired destinations Marlborough Sounds is a top five destination for 27% Kiwis, who want to visit but haven’t yet.

All data detailed on the map refers to respondents of the latest MYOB consumer survey (with fieldwork conducted by independent research agency, Dynata). The survey comprises a sample of 1,002 adult New Zealanders and was conducted between 18th – 23rd October 2024. Respondents were randomly sampled from the Dynata online panel and screened to ensure they met the qualifying criteria. Quotas were maintained on region, gender and age to ensure a robust and diverse cross-section of opinions were obtained.