The memes and moments getting the nation through the latest lockdown
Kia ora neighbours. Since New Zealand plunged into lockdown last week, the laughs for Kiwis have been few and far between.
Apart from Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins’ Freudian slip at an afternoon press conference, where he muddled a message about people stretching their legs and instead said “spread your legs”, the mood of the nation has been heavy and serious.
But as you’d expect, a minister uttering “spread your legs” at a high-profile press conference was music to the ears of meme makers.
Some prefer to take their mind off lockdown by trying something new, such as creating mandalas (abstract art) from things found lying around the house or gathered from nature outside.
Others have been finding ways to keep their community entertained during their lockdown strolls around the neighbourhood, including a return of the hugely popular window teddy bears of 2020.
If you're fed up of reading about the negatives of Covid-19, take a read of our story below. We hope it will make you smile. Ngā mihi.
Christmas Eve busiest shopping day of the year with more than 500,000 sales
Busiest shopping day of the year
Peak time 12 noon-1 pm - 563,303 transactions
Per second peak - 167 transactions
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Number of sales beats Black Friday, but lowest Christmas Eve in six years
Christmas Eve has been the busiest shopping day of the year with 9,745 sales a minute at its peak.
Payments company Worldline says noon to 1pm saw 563,303 sales recorded on its network, down by about 7 percent on a year ago.
The company's network covers about three-quarters of the electronic terminals in operation.
Worldline did not have a dollar value for spending, but the peak number of transactions was the lowest for the past six years and well shy of the record 679,436 in 2019, before the pandemic.
Earlier this month it noted rising sales in the first three weeks of the month, but they remained 1.3 percent lower than 2024, with most parts of the country trailing the previous year's spending.
Official data from Stats NZ to the end of November showed a small rise in spending on the previous month, to 1.6 percent higher for the year.
Retail spending has been subdued as households have remained cautious because of high prices and a slow benefit from lower interest rates, and as well as concerns about the soft labour market.
However, recent surveys have shown improving consumer sentiment with ANZ bank's monthly report showing confidence at its highest level in four years.
Boxing Day is traditionally the country's favourite shopping day, but with Black Friday spending also softer this year the amount going through retailers' terminals may also be down on a year ago.
Adding a dampener to consumer spending may be the recent rises in longer term fixed mortgage rates because of higher wholesale rates.
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Poll: Is it ok to regift something that you have been given?
🎁 Holiday Gift Chat!
Do you ever regift?
What’s your take on asking for a receipt if a gift doesn’t fit?
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79.2% Yes! It's better to regift what I don't need
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20.8% No. It's the thought and effort that matters
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Hi neighbours,
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Don’t miss out, give yourself the gift of quality sleep this Christmas!
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