The consumer credit market in New Zealand looks to have a more profitable business mix for banks than its troubled counterpart in Australia.Mike Ebstein, of MWE Consulting, steps through key themes and data for the NZ credit market in an end of year report for 2015, released yesterday."A comparison of the annual growth rates for the value of purchases made with a debit or credit card over the last ten years [in New Zealand] indicates that the growth in credit card spend has been much more volatile than debit," he said.Ebstein said credit card spending in New Zealand "is currently increasing at just a little below the level of ten years ago but trending higher [while] the growth in debit card spend has been declining over the last four years."He said debit spend growth was now well below that of a decade ago."A 20-year view of the growth rates for credit card spend (purchases plus cash) and credit card balances shows that the growth rates in the first ten years were generally higher than in the last ten years," he said."The rates of growth since the GFC have been relatively stable although growth in credit card spend of late has been trending higher whilst balance growth has been a little softer."The last five years has seen annual spend increase from NZ$29.8 billion to NZ$38.7 billion.Of this, domestic spend lifted from NZ$26.4 billion to NZ$33.7 billion. Offshore spend - a detailed highlighted in NZ banking statistics - strengthened from NZ$3.4 billion to NZ$4.5 billion.In Australia's consumer cards market tough conditions are leading to a low profit setting. The craze for zero interest rate balance transfers, now for terms as long as 18 months, is to blame.Ebstein said: "The growth currently being experienced in total card balances is all occurring on non-accruing balances which are increasing at a double digit rate."On the other hand, balances accruing interest are continuing to contract."Ebstein said average annual card balances increased by A$930 million or two per cent to $51 billion over the twelve months to October 2015, lacklustre by any measure.