New Zealand’s manufacturing sector continued to show contraction at a faster rate during November, according to the latest BNZ – BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI).

 

The seasonally adjusted PMI for November was 45.5 (a PMI reading above 50.0 indicates that manufacturing is generally expanding; below 50.0 that it is declining). This was down from 45.7 in October, and the lowest level of activity since July 2024. The sector has now been in contraction for 21 consecutive months.

 

BusinessNZ’s Director, Advocacy Catherine Beard said that any momentum built over the July-September period has now reverted back to a retreat for the sector.

 

“The key sub-index result for Production (42.5) fell another 1.5 points from October to be at its lowest level of activity since June 2024, while New Orders (44.8) fell back 3.7 points to be at its lowest result since July 2024. Employment (46.9) has remained within a tight band of contraction for the last four months, while both Finished Stocks (49.3) and Deliveries (49.9) improved.

 

The proportion of negative comments from respondents stood at 56% in November. This was up from 53.5% in October, but down from 63.5% in September, 64.2% in August and 71.1% in July. Negative comments during October showed similar patterns to previous months, with a focus on a lack of orders and cost of living.

 

BNZ’s Senior Economist Doug Steel said that “the main message of a manufacturing sector still under significant pressure remains. Recent business surveys report that manufacturers are feeling more confident about the outlook, but there is scant evidence of a general turnaround in activity to date”.

Click here to view the full BNZ Manufacturing Snapshot