Manawatu-Wanganui People Are the Thriftiest in the Country

Manawatu-Wanganui People Are the Thriftiest in the Country

People in the Manawatu-Wanganui watch their pennies the most when it comes spending on eating out, groceries, health and entertainment, according to data gleaned from Westpac NZ.

Westpac drilled down into the data of more than 96,000 of its CashNav app users* and found that those living in the Manawatu-Wanganui spend the least of 13 regions on groceries at around $502 on average per month - $210 less than the highest spending region, Marlborough.

When broken down into age groups, 36-55s in the Manawatu-Wanganui spend the most at around $681, while 56-75s spend $562. Millennials (18-35s) spend just $407 on groceries.

Westpac’s CashNav app allows customers to track their daily spending habits by categorising what they spend their money on and identifying what is holding their saving aspirations back. It also notifies them if their spending is higher than usual.

The app does this by automatically categorising customers’ EFTPOS, debit and credit card transactions into one of 12 categories such as eating out, shopping, travel, entertainment, home, groceries, transportation, utilities, education and health. Retailers choose their category although CashNav users can re-categorise them if they want to.

Westpac NZ General Manager of Marketing, Products and Transformation Andrew Kerr says CashNav allows customers to monitor their spending and take control of their purchasing habits.

“They can see if their spending is going up or down over the month and identify exactly where to cut back in order to save more.”

People in the Manawatu-Wanganui region are also some of the lowest spenders when it comes to eating out in cafés, restaurants, and fast-food outlets compared with 12 other regions, at just $294 per month. Only Southlanders spend less at $276. Aucklanders spend the most at $486. It’s a similar spending story when it comes to health (gyms, pharmacies, make-up shops and beauty salons) and on entertainment (movies, concerts, gaming and gambling).

“It appears that CashNav users in the Manawatu-Wanganui region are good at watching what they’re spending. The app allows them to see when their spend is creeping up and how it’s affecting their saving for the bigger things they want. From there, they can make different spending choices,” says Mr Kerr.

ENDS

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