Economic scorecard: Why are things so bad in Wellington?

New Zealand's economy is patchy at best, but Wellington is bottom of the table.

ASB has released its latest economic scorecard, which shows Canterbury, Taranaki and Southland took the top three spots in the second quarter, boosted by Fonterra's capital return and strong export earnings.

Bay of Plenty dropped down the ranks, from first in the previous quarter to 11th. Gisborne and Wellington were at the bottom of the table at 15th.

"Canterbury has the full package right now," acting chief economist Kim Mundy said. "High dairy prices boosted export returns, while continued population growth and major events supported by its new stadium helped support economic activity during the quarter.

"Households are spending, businesses are investing, the labour market remains resilient and strong dairy returns are providing an additional boost to the economy."

Retail sales in Canterbury were up 8.8 percent year-on-year, the strongest growth in the country.