About the Manufacturing & Operations Industry in New Zealand
The Manufacturing sector in New Zealand makes up 12% of New Zealand’s economy. The sector experienced decline since 2007, however in the last 5 years it has maintained growth.
New Zealand has a small open market economy. The history and current structure of manufacturing in New Zealand has been shaped by its geographical distance from its neighbouring trading partners, its generally good climate, small population and relatively large geographical area.
Our distance to markets initially constrained our manufacturing into producing commodity products that were easier to transport in bulk.
More recently, our export economy has diversified into a wider range of products due to the impacts of globalisation, the reduced cost of transport and investment in new technologies. For example, instead of exporting bulk ingredients our food industry is now able to produce and export value-added products.
Food and Beverage manufacturing is the largest subsector, contributing 32%. This sector has driven the growth of Manufacturing employment in New Zealand since 2013.
Growth and Demand in the Manufacturing Industry
Manufacturing is a large employer and has shown significant growth in employment since 2013. The largest region for manufacturing is Auckland where over a third of firms are based. This is followed by Waikato/Bay of Plenty and Canterbury.
Our manufacturing sector is made up largely of small businesses. There are only 300 manufacturing companies with more than 100 staff. One third of these are in the Food and Beverage sector and 51 are in the machinery and equipment sector.
More recently, manufacturing has seen the emergence of technology exporters in the medium and high tech sectors and on the whole, the industry is trending towards becoming increasingly digitized and automated.
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Core Shed Worker
City:
Otago / Southland
Job Type:
Temporary
Date:
25 days ago
We’re looking for reliable workers to join an upcoming project at Oceana Gold’s Macraes site. This role is ideal for someone with warehousing or similar experience who’s keen to get involved in a physical, hands-on job in the mining sector.
Location: Dunedin, Otago
Start date: Tuesday, 4 November 2025
Pay rate: $28 per hour (paid weekly)
Your role will involve:
Relocating rock core pallets
Extracting rock cores from container trays
Stockpiling rock cores for future crushing
Disposing of empty container trays
Dismantling shelving inside the core shed
To be successful, you’ll need:
A …..
warehouse store person | assistant.
City:
Auckland
Job Type:
We are seeking a motivated and reliable Warehouse Store Person / Driver on behalf of our client to join their team in Auckland for a start in November 2025. This is a full-time position, working Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
This is a varied role where you will be responsible for a combination of warehouse duties and local deliveries. A key part of this position involves driving the company van for deliveries in addition to standard warehouse duties, making it ideal for someone who enjoys variety in their workday.
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Date:
14/11/2025
We are seeking a motivated and reliable Warehouse Store Person / Driver on behalf of our client to join their team in Auckland for a start in November 2025. This is a full-time position, working Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.
This is a varied role where you will be responsible for a combination of warehouse duties and local deliveries. A key part of this position involves driving the company van for deliveries in addition to standard warehouse duties, making it ideal for someone who enjo…..
Fitter/ Turner
City:
Waikato
Job Type:
Temporary
Date:
about 1 month ago
Turner / Machinist
Tradestaff Waikato is looking for an experienced Turner/Machinist to join our team. If you take pride in precision engineering and enjoy hands-on work with quality machinery, this role is for you.
What You’ll Be Doing:
Operating manual and CNC lathes and milling machines
Reading and interpreting technical drawings
Producing precision components to tight tolerances
Maintaining machines and ensuring quality workmanship
Working in a clean, safety-focused environment
What You’ll Need:
Proven experience as a Turner or Machinist (CNC and/or manual)
Strong attention to de…..