Whanganui credit and debit card transactions in January were 6.4 per cent higher than the same month last year, according to new Paymark data.
The national increase was 6.1 per cent over the same period.
Spending growth in Whanganui over the past year was higher than Auckland/Northland, Wellington, Canterbury, Taranaki and Waikato.
Local business confidence is strong, according to Whanganui Chamber of Commerce
president Raewyn Overton-Stuart.
"There's a lot of potential development here," she said.
Retail NZ spokesman Greg Harford said anecdotal evidence from retailers across New Zealand varied widely, but many North Island regions were reporting growth.
Statistics New Zealand also released new data on card transactions, reporting that the national rise in card transactions was 5.6 per cent.
Total spending on electronic cards for January was $5.1 billion, up $270 million since January 2016.
Card transactions were up 2.7 per cent in January, according to Statistics New Zealand, but this was offset by a fall in spending in the previous three months.
Card transactions in Palmerston North and Wairarapa increased by 8 per cent and 7.2 per cent respectively.
The highest regional rise in transactions was in Hawke's Bay, with an increase of 11.1 per cent over the last year.
The Bay of Plenty had the second-highest regional rise of 10.4 per cent.
The main centres did not experience as much growth as the regions, with card transactions in Wellington and Canterbury increasing by only 4.8 per cent.
"We're hearing that performance has been solid around most of the country over the past quarter," said Mr Harford.