New Zealand Manufacturing Growth Hits 7-Month Low

2026-05-14 22:35 By Chusnul Chotimah 1 min. read

The Business NZ Performance of Manufacturing Index in New Zealand was 50.5 in April, down from a downwardly revised 52.8 in March, marking the softest expansion since last September and falling below the long-term average of 52.5.

The latest result showed the sector expanding at a slower pace, highlighting that the Iran war weighed heavily on the index.

Three of the five sub-indices remained in expansion territory, led by employment (53.4 vs 51.8 in April), followed by production (51.7 vs 53.4) and finished stocks (50.5 vs 53.8).

Contractions were seen in new orders (48.2 vs 55.0) and deliveries (46.5 vs 49.6).

" The Performance of Manufacturing Index had been remarkably robust, with the headline reading for March down on previous months but still solidly above the breakeven line.

However, we feared it was only a matter of time before the wheels started to fall off and, alas, the April survey indicates that time may now have arrived.” BNZ Head of Research, Stephen Toplis, said.



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New Zealand Manufacturing Growth Hits 7-Month Low
The Business NZ Performance of Manufacturing Index in New Zealand was 50.5 in April, down from a downwardly revised 52.8 in March, marking the softest expansion since last September and falling below the long-term average of 52.5. The latest result showed the sector expanding at a slower pace, highlighting that the Iran war weighed heavily on the index. Three of the five sub-indices remained in expansion territory, led by employment (53.4 vs 51.8 in April), followed by production (51.7 vs 53.4) and finished stocks (50.5 vs 53.8). Contractions were seen in new orders (48.2 vs 55.0) and deliveries (46.5 vs 49.6). " The Performance of Manufacturing Index had been remarkably robust, with the headline reading for March down on previous months but still solidly above the breakeven line. However, we feared it was only a matter of time before the wheels started to fall off and, alas, the April survey indicates that time may now have arrived.” BNZ Head of Research, Stephen Toplis, said.
2026-05-14
New Zealand Manufacturing PMI Falls to 4-Month Low
The BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index in New Zealand was 53.2 in March, down from a downwardly revised 54.8 in February, marking the softest expansion since last November, but still above the long-term average of 52.5. The latest result showed the sector expanding at a slower pace, highlighting that the Iran war weighed heavily on the index. Four of the five sub-indexes were in expansion, led by new orders, despite a downturn compared to the previous month at 55.8 (vs 57.2 in February), followed by finished stocks (54.0 vs 51.3), production (53.8 vs 56.3), and employment (51.4 vs 50.3), while deliveries stabilized (50.0 vs 50.7). “The PMI result supports our view that economic growth was reasonable in the first quarter of the year, even though material headwinds had accumulated by quarter’s end,” BNZ Senior Economist Doug Steel said.
2026-04-09
New Zealand Factory Activity Expands for 3rd Month
The BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index in New Zealand was 55.0 in February, down from 55.1 in January, marking the first time since mid-2021 that activity recorded three consecutive months at 55.0 or higher. The result showed the sector expanding at a consistent rate, highlighting steady growth in the sector. All five sub-indexes were in expansion, led by New Orders at 57.6, followed by Production at 56.7, while Employment dipped to 50.4. Positive sentiment among manufacturers also improved, with 55.5% of respondents reporting favorable conditions, up from 47.7% in January but down from 57.1% in December. Growth was supported by more orders, enquiries, and sales, boosting export demand and conditions in certain sectors. Additional factors included a growing pipeline of work, a gradual improvement in business confidence, and steady activity levels.
2026-03-12