An economist says prices look to be picking up in the construction sector as more work gets underway in earthquake-hit Canterbury.
Official figures show that prices local producers receive for goods fell 0.9% in the three months to September, compared with the previous quarter.
The prices producers paid for inputs - a measure of wholesale inflation - fell 1%, led by falls in the price for electricity, dairy products and fuel.
But the construction sector experienced a rise, with prices received up 0.4%, and prices paid up 0.5%.
Westpac senior economist Michael Gordon says construction cost inflation is not huge, but prices are increasing.
