The research showed the majority of Christmas events were for white-collar businesses in metro areas.
Hospitality New Zealand Wellington regional manager Dylan Firth said the recent earthquake in the region had caused some cancellations but most Christmas Parties were going ahead, with spend slightly up on previous years.
"It's been a busy time of year for our members," Firth said.
"The average spend appears to be up though so people are looking to spend a little bit more money. Over time prices do go up but I think people are also focusing a lot more on food now, and a lot of bars are upping their game," he said.
"So you can go out to some traditional bars you might not have eaten at before, and they're doing some pretty impressive stuff and they have to because it's a pretty competitive environment in the hospitality industry."
"It's not just samosas and spring rolls anymore."
Those surveyed said they were split on how involved they were going to be at the party, with 41 per cent claiming they were going just to make an appearance, 38 per cent saying they were going to make a night of it and 21 per cent sitting in the middle.
Age played a role in this with 49 per cent of 18 to 34 year old's planning on making a big night of it compared with just 35 per cent of 35 to 54 year old's.
Firth said the traditional Christmas party had evolved over the years with the changed drink driving laws meaning a lot of people were drinking less or having a more sophisticated event.
Faulding said staff enthusiasm for work parties was also affected by age.
"In terms of how big a night out a work Christmas party is, our Seek research revealed that age plays a factor, with 57 per cent of 18 to 34 year olds planning on making a night out of it, compared to 51 per cent of 35 to 54 year olds," Faulding said.
"When it comes to romance, one in 10 Kiwis or ten per cent, have had a romance or hooked up with a work colleague at a work Christmas Party."
The majority of people, 63 per cent, said having a themed party didn't affect how good the party would be with 21 per cent saying it makes it better and 17 per cent saying it made it worse.
Research from Australia showed similar statistics, with 51 per cent of those surveyed looking forward to their Christmas party, 36 per cent neutral and just 13 per cent not excited.
This was largely driven by the younger generation, with 43 per cent of 18 to 34 years old's the most excited compared with just 22 per cent of 35 to 54 year olds.
