Romance has been in the air … summer does that. Walks on the beach, lying under the stars, just simply having more day time to mingle. There were also the long-planned weddings during the sunny days of February. And of course, there was Valentine’s Day. A big part of Valentine’s Day has been the expression of love in a material way, via flowers and jewellery. The more mundane part is the payment for these goods – this is where Paymark comes in.

Paymark gets to see where the majority of card expenditure in New Zealand occurs. Don’t worry Paymark cannot see who you are and to whom you sent flowers (your secret is safe). But the quantum of spending is evident – and also the where. So where did the romantics spend their money? Or put another way, which region was the most romantic? We did a bit more analysis on Valentine’s Day payments, and the answer was – Gisborne! At least, that is one possible inference from the florist and jewellery merchants in Gisborne recording the largest jump in payments through Paymark on Valentine’s Day, up 197% compared to the previous Thursday.

Likewise, Cantabrians appear more romantic than Wellingtonians, and people from Hawke’s Bay more romantic than those from Waikato. And maybe Coasters just get to the point quicker…

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