Tourism, construction and health services helped underpin service sector gains in the South for July.
The trend indicated moderate expansion for the month, mirroring the national result.
Nationally, the monthly BNZ-Business NZ performance of services index dipped 2.2 points to 54.2 for July, which is average for the survey since it started nearly 10 years ago.
Scores above 50 denote expansion, and below, contraction. The national expansion had eased to a 20-month low.
Otago Southland Employers' Association chief executive Virginia Nicholls said the regional service index for July was 51.5 points, slightly above the previous month, and showed the service sector was expanding at a moderate rate.
``The cold winter weather arrived later this year and was positive for our winter tourist operators, accommodation providers and the associated food services,'' she said.
For July, the upper North Island was at 54.9, the lower at 54.2, the upper South Island 55.5 and Otago Southland 51.5 points.
BusinessNZ chief executive Kirk Hope said despite the dip in expansion levels for July, the primary components of the index, of activity/sales, at 57.3 points, and new orders/business, at 57.4 points, remained ``very healthy''.
BNZ senior economist Doug Steel said with July's index near average, and holding above its norm, that suggested the economy was expanding at about or better than the general trend.
