A record $9.5million was spent on Boxing Day in Otago.
Electronic payment figures from Paymark - the company which processes more than 75% of New Zealand's electronic payments - showed the spend was 5.7% up on Boxing Day last year.
Otago Chamber of Commerce chief executive Dougal McGowan believed the financial injection into the local economy was partly created by an influx of tourists.
''Yesterday [Boxing Day] we saw two cruise ships in Dunedin.
''That raises the number in town, on what is already a busy day.
''So that adds to the dollar spend. You've got your locals spending, which is great; but then you've got that added influx of people that adds to that dollar spend.
''Who knows what the exact figure is, but if each one of those tourists is spending $250 to $300 a day, whether it's accommodation or food, that's great for the economy and great for employment.''
Mr McGowan said the increase in spending on Boxing Day was part of an upward trend in spending in the region, which had been growing steadily since September.
He said tourists - particularly those on cruise ships - were coming into the city earlier, which meant the ''shoulder season'' was getting smaller.
Nationwide, spending through Paymark totalled $152.7million on Boxing Day this year.
While that, too, was a record for the day, it marked only a modest 1.9% increase in underlying spending on Boxing Day last year.
Growth was strongest in regional areas such as Taranaki (7.3%), Nelson (6%), Otago (5.7%) and Bay of Plenty (5%).
Auckland-Northland posted a modest 0.9% growth rate, hinting at relatively larger numbers being out of the city this year.
By way of comparison, total spending for the day before Christmas Day was $247.1million, while the record trading day was December 23 (the Friday before Christmas) when $306.2million was transacted through the Paymark network.
The Boxing Day sales followed a period of strong spending growth before Christmas Day.
Total spending through Paymark in the 21 days ending December 24 was $4449million - an underlying spending increase of 6% from the corresponding time last year.
