New Report on Research and Development

New Report on Research and Development

The New Zealand business sector spent $524 million on research and development in the 2002 reference year, according to Research and Development in New Zealand 2002, a new report published by Statistics New Zealand with assistance from the Ministry of Research, Science & Technology.

Total levels of research and development (R&D) expenditure are not directly comparable between the 2000 and 2002 reference years because of changes in the methods employed in identifying enterprises undertaking R&D. Statistics New Zealand estimates that business R&D expenditure increased by 30 percent between the 2000 and 2002 reference years, when adjusted for these changes.

Adjusting for methodology changes, the largest contributor to the increase in business expenditure on R&D was the food, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing industry, which increased 128 percent. Other significant contributors to the increase were the petroleum, coal, chemical and associated product manufacturing industry, which recorded a 92 percent increase, and the computer and related activities services industry, which recorded a 65 percent increase.

Research and Development in New Zealand 2002 is an analytical report produced from the Research and Development Survey (R&D 2002) conducted in August 2002. R&D 2002 was jointly funded by the Ministry of Research, Science & Technology and Statistics New Zealand.

The report is available free on the Statistics New Zealand website, www.stats.govt.nz. A printed version of the report is available on request for $25.

Ian Ewing

Acting Government Statistician

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