The recession-hit economic environment seems to have prompted Prime Minister John Key to take up the economy with the PM lured by the duty-free bargain. The country's economy, as per official figures, grew just 0.1 per cent in the June quarter, amid fears of slowdown to remain for a longer-than-expected time in the next financial year as well.

Mr. Key and wife Bronagh entered in the duty free shops in San Francisco in their way to New York looking around the liquor aisles and a bookstore. They, along with their children Max and Stephie, preferred to travel economy class on their way to the seven-hour San Francisco-to-New York journey, paying from their pocket instead of government expenses.

Mr. Key said that the job scenario would be better, and added that he expected an improvement in employment figures in the next quarter as the economy has started to show signs of recovery.

The PM added: "It's the emergence of a growing New Zealand economy which is good news. And I think it's going to translate into less unemployment than some people have been predicting earlier in the year."