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Retail NZ CEO says Wegovy, tourists, and South Island to thank for 6% spending increase

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Fri, 22 May 2026, 6:29pm
(Photo / NZ Herald)
(Photo / NZ Herald)

Retail NZ CEO says Wegovy, tourists, and South Island to thank for 6% spending increase

Author
Newstalk ZB,
Publish Date
Fri, 22 May 2026, 6:29pm

New Zealand saw a 6% spending increase in retail last quarter with the South Island overtaking the North, likely due to farming and tourism. 

Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young told Heather du Plessis-Allan that a jump in pharmaceutical spending can be attributed to the increasing popularity of GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy. 

"There's certainly high volume of those drugs now being sold, and they're really expensive on a monthly basis. So that just keeps going up and up and up," she said. 

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