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.
Featured Jobs
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General Labourer
City:
Napier / Hastings
Job Type:
Temporary
Date:
1 day ago
Manufacturing Labourer
We’re on the lookout for reliable and physically fit Manufacturing Labourers to join busy manufacturing sites across Hastings and Napier.
If you’re comfortable working with heavy materials, confident using lifting equipment, and keen on a consistent shift pattern—this is your opportunity to get stuck in and earn well.
Location: Varied sites across Hastings and Napier
Start date: Late January or February
Pay rate: $26 per hour (paid weekly)
What you’ll be doing:
Transporting and lifting heavy objects (up to 170kg with machine aid)
Loading items onto conveyor belts…..
Manufacturing Assistant
City:
Dunedin
Job Type:
Temporary
Date:
10 days ago
Manufacturing assistant required for basic factory duties – Dunedin
Are you looking for immediate work with potential for ongoing hours? We have an exciting opportunity for a reliable Factory Hand to join our client's team in Dunedin!
Position Details:
Rate: $25 per hour
Hours: Monday to Friday
Potential: Ongoing work for the right candidate
Start Date: ASAP!
As a Factory Hand, your responsibilities will include general manufactiuring tasks such as operating basic machinery, packaging products, and maintaining a clean and safe workspace.
What we are looking for:
Reliable and punctual
…..