Celebrate Community - March 1st to 31st đ
This month is all about bringing your community together and having a great time! We want March to be all about celebrating the connections we have while making new ones along the way. As we all know, what makes a neighbourhood great isnât the houses and cars, gardens and streets - itâs the people who share their presence and aroha with each other.
A wonderful way to take part is to participate in Neighbours Day Aotearoa which takes place from 20 - 30th March. This yearâs theme is âThe Great Plant Swapâ - as an easy way for our neighbourhoods to grow stronger together. If youâre hosting an event, make sure to register it on their website: neighboursday.org.nz/join-in
Show us how youâre celebrating community this month by tagging us in your social media posts or emailing us your photos, videos, or experiences to: info@neighbourhoodsupport.co.nz
Christmas Eve busiest shopping day of the year with more than 500,000 sales
Busiest shopping day of the year
Peak time 12 noon-1 pm - 563,303 transactions
Per second peak - 167 transactions
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Number of sales beats Black Friday, but lowest Christmas Eve in six years
Christmas Eve has been the busiest shopping day of the year with 9,745 sales a minute at its peak.
Payments company Worldline says noon to 1pm saw 563,303 sales recorded on its network, down by about 7 percent on a year ago.
The company's network covers about three-quarters of the electronic terminals in operation.
Worldline did not have a dollar value for spending, but the peak number of transactions was the lowest for the past six years and well shy of the record 679,436 in 2019, before the pandemic.
Earlier this month it noted rising sales in the first three weeks of the month, but they remained 1.3 percent lower than 2024, with most parts of the country trailing the previous year's spending.
Official data from Stats NZ to the end of November showed a small rise in spending on the previous month, to 1.6 percent higher for the year.
Retail spending has been subdued as households have remained cautious because of high prices and a slow benefit from lower interest rates, and as well as concerns about the soft labour market.
However, recent surveys have shown improving consumer sentiment with ANZ bank's monthly report showing confidence at its highest level in four years.
Boxing Day is traditionally the country's favourite shopping day, but with Black Friday spending also softer this year the amount going through retailers' terminals may also be down on a year ago.
Adding a dampener to consumer spending may be the recent rises in longer term fixed mortgage rates because of higher wholesale rates.
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Poll: Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?
đ Holiday Gift Chat!
Do you ever regift?
Whatâs your take on asking for a receipt if a gift doesnât fit?
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79.1% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
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20.9% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD
The Ministry of Social Development is reporting that fake information is circulating about new âDecember bonusesâ or âbenefit increasesâ
If you get suspicious communication, please contact Netsafe.
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