Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Manufacturing continues to expand

Updated at 10:32 pm on 11 March 2010

Activity in the manufacturing sector continued to gain momentum in February, but some businesses are still struggling.

The latest BNZ-Business New Zealand Performance of Manufacturing Index gained 1.2 points during the month to 53.3.

A reading over 50 indicates that manufacturing is expanding.

Strong growth in Canterbury, which has a large manufacturing sector, boosted the overall figure, while all the other regions experienced declines.

Bank of New Zealand head of research Stephen Toplis says the overall growth trend disguises the difficulties faced by some businesses.

He says companies exposed to the strengthening Australian economy are doing particularly well, while those exposed to investment activity and retail spending in New Zealand are struggling.

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