Unchanged on the month

  • contraction for a third consecutive month

BusinessNZ's executive director for manufacturing Catherine Beard

  • "The sub-index of new orders (50.1) recovered from its decline in August to just keep its head above water for September. Also, employment (50.0) showed no change following four consecutive monthly declines. However, the weak new order results in recent months meant production (46.2) fell to its lowest result since April 2012. In addition, deliveries of raw materials (46.4) fell to its lowest since March 2011."Overall, while it is good to see the sector not declining further, it remains stuck in a tight band of contraction. The key to lifting it back into expansion will be a sustained boost to both new orders and production in the months ahead. The proportion of positive comments for September (48.8%) again improved from the previous month, although a number of businesses who outlined positive influences still regard the current climate as a mixed bag.