Spending in Canterbury is lagging behind other regions in the South Island - according to the latest Paymark figures.
More than $570 million worth of transactions were recorded last month in Canterbury - an increase of 4% on the same time last year.
The Marlborough region - including Kaikoura - recorded the biggest growth in spending, up more than 17% to a total of more than $67 million.
Sixty thousand visitors to Dunedin over Easter weekend contributed to a rise for Otago of 8.4%.Â
The year-on-year comparison could be slightly skewed, with Easter trading falling this year in March as opposed to in April last year.Â
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