Ease Continues for Manufacturing Sales

Economic Survey of Manufacturing: September 2005 quarter

Ease Continues for Manufacturing Sales

Seasonally adjusted manufacturing sales for the September 2005 quarter decreased 0.2 percent compared with the June 2005 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said today. The decrease follows an equivalent result for the June 2005 quarter and an increase of 2.7 percent for the March 2005 quarter.

The result was driven by a 4.2 percent decrease in seasonally adjusted sales for the meat and dairy product manufacturing industry for the September 2005 quarter. This follows a 5.9 percent decrease for the June 2005 quarter.

With the exclusion of the meat and dairy product manufacturing industry, seasonally adjusted sales for manufacturing increased 1.0 percent in the September 2005 quarter compared with the previous quarter.

Petroleum and industrial chemical manufacturing contributed the second largest decrease in seasonally adjusted sales for the September 2005 quarter. This decrease was partly offset by the increases in sales for machinery and equipment manufacturing and seasonally adjusted sales for other food manufacturing.

With the effect of price changes removed, seasonally adjusted manufacturing sales decreased 1.9 percent for the September 2005 quarter, following increases of 0.1 percent and 0.2 percent for the June 2005 and March 2005 quarters, respectively. The largest contributor to the September 2005 decrease was meat and dairy product manufacturing.

Brian Pink
Government Statistician

ENDS

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