Manufacturing doing well
Labour, Greens and NZ First claimed that manufacturing was doing so badly in New Zealand that it was a manufacturing crisis. In reality is was a manufactured crisis.
Catherine Beard, the executive director of ManufacturingNZ dispels four myths:
- Manufacturing is a sunset industry
- Food manufacturing isn’t real manufacturing
- It’s all made overseas anyway
- The future is in services, not manufacturing
She concludes:
Examining these four myths reveals some important truths about New Zealand manufacturing. It is strategic, it is broad-based including both food and non-food manufacturing, it is well integrated in the global economy, it is based on the ingenuity and creativity that New Zealand is famous for, and it’s bringing economic growth.
The true story of manufacturing in New Zealand is great news.
Manufacturing in NZ employs 250,000 New Zealanders and has a $12 billion wages bill.