New Zealand Manufacturing Sector Climbs Into Expansion - BusinessNZ

(RTTNews) - The manufacturing sector in New Zealand moved up into expansion territory in January, the latest survey from BusinessNZ revealed on Friday with a manufacturing PMI core of 51.4.

That's up from the upwardly revised 46.2 in December (originally 45.9) and it moves back above the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.

Among the individual components, production (50.9), employment (50.2), new orders (50.9), finished stocks (51.9) and deliveries (51.7) were all in expansion.

"It's a positive start to 2025, with the manufacturing sector shifting out of reverse and into first gear. While the PMI still sits below its long-run average of 52.5, the improvement is welcome news for manufacturers after a very challenging two years," BNZ's Senior Economist Doug Steel said.