Data released from Worldline shows June was an "especially quiet" month for retailers.
Southland surged 10 places up the leaderboard.
Results of a new survey are being described as "hugely encouraging" for the Reserve Bank.
"The trend has started to move up."
Prescription fees, single-use plastics, public transport and fuel taxes all changed on July 1 last year.
But Tony Alexander is warning of how businesses could be "ensuring this recession extends into 2025".
Tony Alexander says the economic pain "is going to get a lot worse" before the end of the year.
Kiwis are still "getting smaller slice of economic pie".
It rose 0.2 percent in the March 2024 quarter.
