Quarterly economic survey of manufacturing

Survey at a glance

Purpose To provide quick economic indicators of how the manufacturing sector is faring in the current economic climate
Selection process All manufacturing businesses can be selected
Population Approximately 22,700
Sample Approximately 1,600
Frequency Quarterly
Results Quarterly Economic Survey of Manufacturing

About the survey

What is the purpose of the Quarterly Economic Survey of Manufacturing?

The Quarterly Economic Survey of Manufacturing Survey provides short term indicator statistics on manufacturing industries. It provides information on:

  • the value of total sales
  • the value of closing stocks of materials and finished goods, work in progress and trading stocks
  • additions and disposal of fixed assets
  • gross salaries and wages
  • purchases and operating expenditure.

The manufacturing industry covers those businesses that transform goods and materials into new products. In New Zealand, many manufacturers are engaged in primary produce manufacturing such as the meat, dairy and other food processing. Other significant processing industries are wood and paper products, and fabricated metal processing.

Further information on the Quarterly Economic Survey of Manufacturing.

Who is included in this survey?

There are approximately 22,700 manufacturing businesses in New Zealand. A sample of approximately 1,600 businesses are included in the Quarterly Economic Survey of Manufacturing, representing the entire population of manufacturers.

All manufacturing businesses (with annual turnover over $30,000) may be selected for the Quarterly Manufacturing Survey. Some businesses are included in the postal sample while for smaller businesses we make use of GST tax data. By using.these tax records, the number of businesses in the postal sample has been reduced by more than 20 percent.

Within the manufacturing sector, the sub industry groupings are:

  • Meat and dairy produce manufacturing
  • Beverage, malt and tobacco manufacturing
  • Other food manufacturing
  • Textile and apparel manufacturing
  • Wood product manufacturing
  • Paper and paper product manufacturing
  • Printing, publishing and recorded media
  • Petroleum and industrial chemical manufacturing
  • Rubber, plastic and other chemical product manufacturing
  • Non-metalic mineral product manufacturing
  • Basic metal manufacturingStructural, sheet and fabricated metal product manufacturing
  • Transport equipment manufacturing
  • Machinery and equipment manufacturing
  • Furniture and other manufacturing.

What is the chance of being selected and how long will I be in the survey for?

All manufacturing businesses that have a classification of ANZSIC Division C (Manufacturing) can be selected.

Participants in the survey are randomly selected based on the size of the business and number of employees.

What is this information used for?

This information is used by the government (notably the Ministry of Economic Development) to monitor the economic performance of the manufacturing industry. Results from the Quarterly Economic Survey of Manufacturing are used in the compilation of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Survey results are used by a number of business analysts to monitor the level of economic activity and productivity in the manufacturing industry. Manufacturers themselves use the data to follow trends in their industry sector. Aggregate results are made available to other economic analysts (like forecasting agencies and banks) who use the information in conjunction with other economic indicators to forecast New Zealand's economic future.

Results from the survey are available on the Statistics New Zealand website. Click on this link to view the most recent summary results from the Quarterly Economic Survey of Manufacturing.

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About giving data

If our business is included in the survey, who should complete the survey?

Owner, manager, accountant, etc.

How often does this survey take place?

This survey takes place quarterly.

What if my business is not engaged in manufacturing?

Sometimes the way Statistics New Zealand classifies businesses may differ from how the business itself describes its activities. For instance, publishers, printers and bakers are all classified within the manufacturing industries.

There can also be overlap between wholesaling and manufacturing business classifications. Some business activities undertake both manufacturing and wholesaling. If you are unsure why your business has been selected for the Quarterly Economic Survey of Manufacturing, please phone our Survey Help Desk on 0800 809 464 or email us at surveys@stats.govt.nz so we can confirm your business is correctly classified.

What if the contact details about my business are wrong?

Please correct the address panel on the survey questionnaire and return it to us. We will then update our records about your business.

Please phone our Survey Help Desk on 0800 809 464 or send us an email at surveys@stats.govt.nz if you have sold your manufacturing business or if the information on the questionnaire is wrong for any other reason. Please provide information about the new owner.

What if my business is very small?

The survey is designed to collect information on manufacturers with an annual turnover over $30,000. Businesses can be included in the postal sample as they represent not only themselves but other similar businesses. For this reason we require responses from all businesses selected in the postal sample.

Please phone our Survey Help Desk on 0800 809 464 or by email at surveys@stats.govt.nz if the annual turnover of your business is less than $30,000. We will then update the records for your business.

In June 2001, we redesigned the Quarterly Economic Survey of Manufacturing. This redesign makes use of GST data for small businesses. Consequently the number of businesses required to complete survey questionnaires dropped by over 20 percent. Your business may no longer be surveyed because we now use tax data or because a different group of businesses is now surveyed.

What if the information you require is not available?

A number of smaller businesses only produce annual financial statements. This means that the information requested is not available on a quarterly basis. Please phone our Survey Help Desk on 0800 809 464 or send an email to surveys@stats.govt.nz if your business is unable to provide accurate data quarterly, or is unable to answer all the questions. It is helpful to us to have key information even if it is not possible to answer all survey questions. We will then work with you to find an alternative way of deriving this information.

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About your obligations

Why should I provide information to Statistics New Zealand?

Under the Statistics Act 1975 you must provide the information requested by Statistics New Zealand. It is also important that information from all of the businesses surveyed is accurately represented in the statistical results.

To assist businesses overcome reporting difficulties, we will work with our business respondents to manage these demands better. Please contact our Survey Help Desk on 0800 809 464 or by email at surveys@stats.govt.nz if you need help in providing information to us.

Will I be paid for providing information to Statistics New Zealand?

There is no authority for Statistics New Zealand to pay respondents for providing statistical information. Statistics New Zealand tries to spread the obligation for providing data fairly across all businesses and surveys. Where possible, most small and medium sized businesses are included in one or two quarterly surveys.

If you consider that your business is incurring unreasonable time or costs in completing Statistics New Zealand surveys, please phone our Survey Help Desk on 0800 809 464 or by email at surveys@stats.govt.nz so that we can find ways to moderate these demands.

Will my information be shared with other government agencies?

The Statistics Act 1975 states that:

  • all information collected under the Act must be used only for statistical purposes
  • no information is released by Statistics New Zealand in a form that could enable the person or undertaking to whom it relates to be identified.

Consequently, Statistics New Zealand does not share your information with other government agencies. Other government agencies can provide their information to Statistics New Zealand, but only for statistical purposes. Statistics New Zealand sometimes undertakes a statistical survey jointly with another government department or government agency. In all cases, respondents are informed that it is a joint collection. You may object to information being passed to the other party by writing to Statistics New Zealand. Where this right is exercised, Statistics New Zealand withholds the information from the other party.

Do I have to complete this questionnaire?

If your business has been selected for any Statistics New Zealand survey, you must provide the information requested. We appreciate that completion of survey forms is time consuming and can be difficult from manual accounting records. Some people find it easier to provide the information by fax or by email. If you wish to provide information this way, please contact our Survey Help Desk on 0800 809 464 to discuss these options.

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About using information

Are results from the Quarterly Economic Survey of Manufacturing available?

Yes, free standard results each quarter for information on the Economic Survey of Manufacturing and key results of other Statistics New Zealand surveys.

Is statistical information available?

Many statistics are available to you and your business as it is 'public good' information. This means that you can access this information free of charge, from this website, or by contacting our Customer Services staff via email info@stats.govt.nz, or by phone at your nearest Statistics New Zealand office. Our newsletters also contain information which you may find useful. The information available could assist you in business planning and for monitoring business performance.

Does Statistics New Zealand have information useful for my business?

We can provide information that could be helpful in determining how your business is performing. For instance we have information that can help in:

  • economic monitoring
  • target marketing
  • estimating your market share
  • benchmarking your business.

If you would like information for use in your business, please phone 0508 525 525 and ask for our customer services section or send an email to info@stats.govt.nz.