Growth in the manufacturing sector has picked up strongly, despite a drag caused by the reduced dairy payout.
The BNZ-Business New Zealand Performance of Manufacturing Index rose by 3.2 points from the previous month to 55.2 points in June.
A reading above 50 indicates expansion.
Business New Zealand executive director for manufacturing Catherine Beard said the latest result was good news.
She said the first six months of the year had been volatile, but this was now the 33rd consecutive month of growth in the sector.
BNZ senior economist Doug Steel said there was a clear drag from the dairy sector because of the reduced dairy payout but overall growth was still reasonable.
He said a sharp drop in the New Zealand dollar against major overseas currencies was also helping the manufacturing sector.
Mr Steel said expansion was surprisingly strong in Canterbury, despite anecdotes that the level of activity in the region had peaked.
