Fieldays bounce plus strong sheep, beef, dairy returns boost Waikato economy

Monday, 6 July 2026

Food merchants saw a bump in business over the duration of the Fieldays event, new card spending data has revealed.

Waikato was one of New Zealand's strongest-performing retail regions in June, with Fieldays and increased grocery shopping helping buck a nationwide decline in consumer spending.

New figures from card spending bean counters, Paymark, show core retail spending in Waikato rose 1.4% in June compared with the same month last year, making it the country's best-performing major region - ahead of Hawke's Bay (1.2%) and the West Coast (0.9%).

In dollar terms, Waikato consumers spent $309 million through Paymark's core retail network during June.

Fieldays is a great example of Waikato’s economic resilience, Waikato Chamber of Commerce executive director Don Good said.

Nationally, spending through Paymark's payments network fell 0.5% to $3.5 billion, reflecting what the company described as a seasonally and economically weak start to winter.

Paymark chief sales officer Bruce Proffit said Waikato's growth was driven largely by spending at food and liquor stores, with more people making purchases in those outlets.

“The largest contribution to spending growth in the Waikato in June was higher spending at Food and Liquor shops, resulting from more transactions,” Proffit said.

He said the annual Fieldays event at Mystery Creek also gave retailers a boost.

“During the week of Fieldays, there was approximately an extra $1 million of spending recorded that was spread over Hardware/Furniture and Food Service merchants.”

Economist Shamubeel Eaqub said the 2026 Fieldays event was ‘bigger and better’ and he had no doubt it contributed to Waikato’s strong economic performance.

The Fieldays bounce was also noticed by economist Shamubeel Eaqub.

“I can say from being at Fieldays, it was bigger and better this year, which no doubt added to the Waikato performance,” he said.

He said the Paymark data revealed good growth in provincial economies, including Waikato.

“Very strong returns across sheep, beef and dairy is behind this,” he said.

“Great to see this positivity amid weakness elsewhere.”

Don Good, executive director of the Waikato Chamber of Commerce, also highlighted the Fieldays effect, noting it “felt as though it was a turning point in our economic recovery”.

“After a good start to 2026, the woe of the oil price shock caused by the Middle East conflict gave everyone a fright, but supply has remained open, prices are trending down, and we did not collapse,” he said.

“Then along came Fieldays.”

Good said that economic recovery is an attitude, and our resilience stems from our attitude.

“The 2026 Fieldays showed that resilience attitude in spades,” he said.

“Exhibitors, attendees and organisers all had smiles. The weather was about the best you could ask for as 132,000 people flooded through the turnstiles.

“Exhibitors spoke of increased turnover and for some there were records broken. Banks were entertaining their clients in fine fashion. Most farmers had paid down debt and seen their balance sheets strengthen, so they came to Fieldays with cash to invest.

“The big Waikato companies, such as Gallaghers, Power Farming, all the vehicle companies, as well as the smaller exhibitors spoke of big increases in turnover.

“Nothing says recovery better than tills ringing with people spending,” he said.

Despite that lift, Proffit said the region's overall performance was mixed.

'Apart from those sectors, there were spending declines reported over the month for most non-food merchant groups in Waikato.'

The figures suggest households remain cautious about discretionary spending as cost-of-living pressures continue to weigh on budgets.

Across New Zealand, the hospitality sector recorded some of the sharpest declines.

Spending at accommodation providers fell 20.1% compared with June last year, while spending at bars, cafés, restaurants and fast-food outlets dropped 5.4%, a decline of $42 million.

Proffit said several factors contributed to the weaker result.

'There were extenuating circumstances during June, such as the Matariki holiday occurring in July this year and wet weather both at the start and towards the end of the month.'

'But the bigger influence appears to be one of strong budget pressures limiting Hospitality spending.'

Other sectors also struggled, with lower spending recorded at clothing and footwear retailers, recreational goods stores, gyms, beauty and hairdressing salons, and movie theatres.

Fitness centres experienced one of the largest annual falls, with spending down 23.7% in June, while movie theatre spending declined 4.9% and beauty and hairdressing salons slipped 1.8%.

Waikato's result contrasted with neighbouring Bay of Plenty, where retail spending fell 3.2% over the year.

Marlborough recorded the largest regional decline at 6.2%, followed by Bay of Plenty and Wairarapa, down 2.7%.

While Waikato outperformed the national average, the data suggests the gains were concentrated in essential spending and the annual economic boost generated by Fieldays rather than a broad-based recovery in consumer confidence.