WELLINGTON, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand manufacturers saw a reversal of fortunes with exports rising at the end of last year, but the figures still posed a concern, the New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA) said Friday.
The latest NZMEA Survey of Business Conditions showed total sales in December rose 7.23 percent year on year, with export sales, 60 percent of the total, up 10.01 percent and domestic sales up 3.3 percent.
In the three months to December, export sales fell by an average 1.4 percent, year on year and domestic sales rose 11.7 percent.
"December's manufacturing sales results showed a good bounce back from the results seen in October, September and July, particularly in export sales, manufacturers ended the year on a high note," NZMEA chief executive Dieter Adam said in a statement.
Export sales in December were higher than the increase of 6.44 percent reported in November, resulting in an average monthly fall of 1.4 percent over the December quarter.
"We can now get a good picture on how the manufacturing sector fared in 2016. Domestic sales experienced an average monthly growth of 5.8 percent on the previous year's months over the last 12 months, representing a positive trend of domestic sales," said Adam.
"Export sales saw an average monthly growth of 2.1 percent in the same period," he said.
Weak export numbers had been reflected in government statistics in December, which showed mechanical machinery and equipment exports fell 8.83 percent year on year and electrical machinery and equipment fell 13.5 percent.
"The downward trend in export sales towards the end of the year was concerning, though the last two months of the year did turn this around somewhat," said Adam.
"This is a reminder that we need to renew focus on building high-value exports and push for growth in these areas."
