Fashion pulse: New Zealand - August 2026

Consumer prices (June 2026 quarter)

Clothing and footwear prices in New Zealand rose 2.5 percent year-on-year in the June 2026 quarter, according to the consumers price index (CPI) of Statistics New Zealand (Stats NZ), after a 1.3 percent rise in the March quarter. Headline CPI inflation was 4.1 percent, up from 3.1 percent. Stats NZ publishes the CPI quarterly, so the June quarter is the latest reading that does not extend beyond August.

Clothing prices rose 2.0 percent YoY and footwear prices 4.6 percent, according to Stats NZ. Prices of men's clothing rose 1.8 percent and of women's clothing 1.9 percent. On the quarter, clothing and footwear prices rose 1.3 percent, while the overall index rose 1.5 percent.

Card spending (August)

Electronic card spending on apparel fell 2.0 percent in August from July, seasonally adjusted, a decline of 6.9 million New Zealand dollars, according to Stats NZ. This followed a 3.2 percent rise in July and was the largest percentage decline among the retail spending categories. In unadjusted terms, apparel card spending was 4.6 percent lower than in August 2025.

Card spending across the retail industries fell 0.9 percent from July, seasonally adjusted, and spending in core retail fell 1.0 percent. These figures are nominal values and are not adjusted for price changes.

Retail sales (June 2026 quarter)

Sales volume for clothing, footwear and personal accessories retailers was flat in the June 2026 quarter, seasonally adjusted, after a 4.5 percent fall in the March quarter, according to Stats NZ's retail trade survey. In unadjusted terms, the industry's sales volume was 4.5 percent lower than in the June 2025 quarter. Total retail sales volume fell 0.5 percent from the March quarter, seasonally adjusted, while volume in the core retail industries, which exclude motor vehicles and fuel, rose 0.7 percent.

Imports (August)

Imports of textiles and textile articles (HS chapters 50 to 63), which include clothing, rose 10.4 percent YoY to 290.3 million New Zealand dollars in August, according to provisional Stats NZ data. Footwear imports (HS chapter 64) fell 5.4 percent to 43.5 million New Zealand dollars. Both are nominal values that include cost, insurance and freight.

Consumer and business sentiment (August)

The ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence index eased to 98.0 in August from 99.3 in July, according to ANZ Research. The net share of respondents who said it was a good time to buy a major household item fell to minus 12 from minus 7.

In the ANZ Business Outlook survey for August, retailers' net balance for profit expectations was 47.8, the highest of the five sectors surveyed. Retailers' net balance for activity compared with a year earlier was zero. Retail firms expected to raise their prices by 3.0 percent over the next three months, the highest expected rise among the five sectors.

Monetary policy and currency (August)

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand's official cash rate remained at 2.50 percent throughout August, a month without a monetary policy meeting. One US dollar bought an average of 1.6927 New Zealand dollars in August, down from 1.7314 in July, according to data compiled by the BIS, a 2.3 percent rise in the value of the New Zealand dollar. Compared with August 2025, when the average was 1.6955, the New Zealand dollar was 0.2 percent stronger against the US dollar.

The bottom line

New Zealand clothing and footwear prices rose 2.5 percent YoY in the June 2026 quarter, below headline CPI inflation of 4.1 percent. Apparel card spending fell 2.0 percent in August from July, seasonally adjusted, and was 4.6 percent below its August 2025 level in unadjusted terms. Consumer confidence eased to 98.0, and the official cash rate held at 2.50 percent.

Note: this article combines the most recent official data available at the time of writing. Reporting lags differ by indicator and country, so not all figures refer to the same month. Each data point is labelled with its reference period.