NZ credit card billings rise in April - RBNZ

WELLINGTON, May 21 - Credit card billings in New Zealand rose in April, pointing to a tentative improvement in consumer sentiment, central bank data showed on Thursday.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand said total billings rose a seasonally adjusted 2.3 percent last month, compared with a revised 2.8 percent fall in March.

Billings were 1.6 percent lower than a year earlier, after a 4.8 percent fall in the year to March.

This month, data showed a third consecutive month's growth in electronic card retail sales in April, with analysts suggesting consumers were moving away from incurring debt.

Other data showed a record 2.9 percent fall in retail sales volumes in the first quarter, as consumers slashed buying of cars and other big-ticket items.

New Zealand has been in recession since the start of 2008 and the slowdown is expected to continue through much of 2009, prompting the central bank to pledge to keep its cash rate at record lows through to the latter part of 2010.

Cuts to personal tax came into effect on April 1.