Paymark spokesman Paul Brislen said Palmerston North was one of five, out of 17, Paymark regions where Boxing Day spending increased this year – although Auckand spending only increased by 0.7 per cent. Nationally, $62.2m was spent on Boxing Day over the Paymark network, 2.2 per cent less than last year. Brislen said the areas where Boxing Day spending rose in 2020 tended to be places without a big tourism sector, such as Palmerston North. The overall drop in spending could be partially explained by the lack of overseas visitors, after the pandemic ground international travel to a halt, he said. Paymark figures don t capture online spending.