The manufacturing sector in New Zealand lipped into contraction territory in May, the latest survey from BusinessNZ revealed on Friday with a Performance of Manufacturing Index score of 49.9.
That's down from 50.5 in April, and it falls beneath the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.
Among the individual components of the survey, employment (49.6) contracted, while production (50) was stagnant and deliveries (51.9), finished stocks (53.8) and new orders (50.1) expanded.
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June 12, 2026 17:14 ET Major central bank action was the focus this week in economic news. The European Central Bank became the first major central bank to move in response to the rising inflationary pressures in the backdrop of the conflict in the Middle East. In North America, the U.S. inflation and trade data as well as Canada’s central bank decision gained attention. The Chinese trade data was the main news in Asia.