New Zealand System of National Accounts
The New Zealand System of National Accounts (NZSNA) is a comprehensive accounting framework based on an international standard (System of National Accounts, 1993). The structure and content of the NZSNA transforms the countless economic transactions that take place each day into a framework, to analyse and compare important economic variables over time.
The NZSNA are based on the results of a wide and varying range of surveys and censuses. The organisation and presentation of this material in a systematic form allows the behaviour and interaction of the major parts of the economy to be identified, and the impact of structural changes to be understood.
Gross domestic product (GDP) can be measured using three approaches, namely the production, income and expenditure approaches. The production measure of GDP is derived from firm level data and estimates the value added by all producing industries in the New Zealand economy. The income measure of GDP is derived from earnings data and estimates how the income earned from these producing industries is then distributed throughout the economy as returns to labour, capital and government. The expenditure measure of GDP is derived from data estimating spending on goods and services by final end users and includes consumption, investment and exports minus the value of imports.
Additional information on both quarterly and annual methods, can be found in the Quarterly Gross Domestic Product: Sources and Methods, available for free at www.stats.govt.nz, or contact the information centre (call toll-free 0508 525 525 or email info@stats.govt.nz) to purchase a hard copy.
Status of the published figures
The figures for the years 2006 to 2008 are provisional. Please note that data may not sum to stated totals due to rounding.
The National Accounts: Year ended March 2009 will be released in November 2009. This release will:
- incorporate the results from balancing the production and expenditure estimates of gross domestic product (GDP) within a supply and use framework for the years 2005, 2006 and 2007
- revise estimates for the year ended March 2008. The revisions will result from more up-to-date information becoming available, including detailed results from the Annual Enterprise Survey.
Expenditure on GDP statistics will be revised with each subsequent release of the quarterly GDP series.
Additional tables available
More detailed analyses of the national accounts items shown in the consolidated accounts are available on request from the National Accounts business unit or from the table section of this release.
Tables available on request are:
- taxes on production breakdown (1987–2008)
- gross fixed capital formation by asset type (1972–2008)
- net capital stock by asset type (1972–2008)
- productive capital stock by asset type (1972–2008)
- contribution to GDP by industry, current prices (1972–2005)
- household income and outlay account (1987–2008)
- general government sector account (1987–2008).
Revisions
This release contains revisions arising from new and more up-to-date information. These result from:
- incorporating new survey data for all years from 2006 onwards
- incorporating balance of payments revisions
- incorporating revisions to government accounts data
- revisions to the historical production and expenditure approaches to GDP resulting from a further confrontation of the Government Income and Outlay Accounts against the National Accounts (1987–2007).
Revisions incorporated in this publication will also be reflected in the Gross Domestic Product: September 2008 quarter Hot Off The Press to be released on 23 December 2008.
More information
For more information, follow the link from the Technical notes of this release on the Statistics New Zealand website.
Copyright
Information obtained from Statistics NZ may be freely used, reproduced, or quoted unless otherwise specified. In all cases Statistics NZ must be acknowledged as the source.
Liability
While care has been used in processing, analysing and extracting information, Statistics NZ gives no warranty that the information supplied is free from error. Statistics NZ shall not be liable for any loss suffered through the use, directly or indirectly, of any information, product or service.
Timing
Timed statistical releases are delivered using postal and electronic services provided by third parties. Delivery of these releases may be delayed by circumstances outside the control of Statistics NZ. Statistics NZ accepts no responsibility for any such delays.