Sporty cars boost sales figures
Visitor spending stabilises
The average international visitor to New Zealand is spending less but overall added more than $10 billion to the economy in the year to December. Figures from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said spending had begun to stabilise after a period of record growth. For the year to December, international visitor spending grew 4 per cent to $10.1b, but average spending per visitor had seen a small increase. ‘‘Over the last quarter, the New Zealand dollar appreciated against the currencies of some of our key tourist markets . . . which likely contributed to growth in international visitor spend being lower than previous quarters,’’ MBIE manager of sector trends Peter Ellis said. The Kiwi love of new cars, particularly SUVs, has become a big driver behind solid retail sales figures. Retail sales volumes grew a seasonally adjusted 0.8 per cent in the December quarter versus the previous quarter. Core retail sales, excluding cars and fuel, grew by 0.6 per cent. Motor vehicle and parts retailing sales have been strong for most of last year, rising 1.9 per cent in volume and 2.7 per cent by value in December. People were splashing out, Statistics NZ business indicators manager Tehseen Islam said. ‘‘More expensive cars and SUV vehicles are selling well, especially in Auckland.’’ Migration is thought to behind the rise in car sales, with passenger vehicle registrations up 11 per cent last year.
Build it and they will book
Two international medical conferences are expected to contribute $11 million to Auckland’s economy when they take place at the New Zealand International Convention Centre, according to an estimate by Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists in conjunction with the Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) will hold back-toback conferences at the new conference centre in 2020. An estimated 4000 attendees are expected for the APAO event, while the IAPB event was expected to bring 2000 people to the city.
Airways boss steps down
Airways New Zealand chief executive Ed Sims has resigned. Sims, who was previously a top executive at Air New Zealand, led the state-owned air traffic navigation provider for six years. He has accepted a position with an international organisation and his last day with Airways will be on May 26. Sims said it was time for a new chief executive to bring their own ‘‘leadership style to one of the best roles in New Zealand’’. Airways chairwoman Judy Kirk said Sims was crucial to the organisation’s transformation strategy: ‘‘Ed joined Airways in 2011 to realise the organisation’s vision of being a key player in the provision of global air navigation products and services.’’