Retail spending across the wider region last month was 5 per cent up on January last year, though a business leader says Northland's growth is in quite selected areas.
The local economy is growing, says Northland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Tony Collins, but mainly in civil construction and owner-operated businesses.
According to new Paymark data, year-on-year growth in credit and debit card transactions in Auckland and Northland was 5.4 per cent - less than the national average of 6.1 per cent.
Greg Harford, spokesman for Retail NZ, said anecdotal evidence suggested spending increases were greater in the Auckland region.
"There has been particularly strong performance in Hawke's Bay, the Waikato, Auckland and Otago," he said.