2026 Q1 Hospitality Sales Snapshot

The 2026 Q1 Hospitality Sales Snapshot provides top line sales statistics on the hospitality industry.

In the first quarter of 2026 New Zealand’s hospitality sector recorded $4.26 billion in sales, marking 6.5 per cent year-on-year growth.

Following one of the toughest periods on record, a stronger finish to 2025 created cautious optimism that 2026 might mark a genuine turning point. And while the first quarter in 2026 hasn’t been without it’s unpredicted hurdles, the latest sales figures do provide some encouraging signs.

The café and restaurant sector overall continued stronger momentum, recording $2.16 billion in sales and growing 8.1 per cent year-on-year.

Queenstown-Lakes recorded the strongest growth, with sales increasing 21.9 per cent year-on-year. Canterbury and Manawatū-Whanganui also posted strong gains, while Auckland – which accounts for more than 38 per cent of national industry sales – recorded growth of 5.5 per cent. At the same time, not all regions shared in those gains. Nelson recorded a decline compared with the same quarter last year, highlighting once again that there is no single hospitality story playing out across New Zealand.

With data sourced from Statistics New Zealand and the Restaurant Association, the Q1 Report provides relevant data on the state of the hospitality industry.

Selected highlights:

• 4.26 billion total hospitality sales (+6.5%)
• $2.16 billion café and restaurant sales (+8.1%)
• 21.9% growth in Queenstown-Lakes
• 12.3% growth in catering
• 38.2% of national sales generated in Auckland

The 2026 Q1 Hospitality Sales snapshot includes:

• Quarterly sales data by sector for Q1 2026 (restaurants & cafés; pubs, taverns & bars; catering; food to go; and clubs), showing sales trend over previous year and previous quarter
• Regional outlook for sales for Q1 covering the following regions:  Northland Region, Auckland Region, Waikato Region, Bay of Plenty Region, Gisborne Region, Hawke’s Bay Region, Taranaki Region, Manawatu-Wanganui Region, Wellington Region, West Coast Region, Tasman Region, Nelson Region, Marlborough Region, Kaikoura, Canterbury Region excl Kaikoura, Otago Region excl Queenstown-Lakes, Queenstown-Lakes, Southland Region

Restaurant Association members can download the full free electronic copy of the 2026 Q1 Hospitality Sales Snapshot here. 

If you are not a member of the Restaurant Association, the 2026 Q1 Report is available for purchase to the wider industry for $60.00 +gst. Let us know if you’d like to talk to one of our team about becoming a member, or click here for more information.