FX.co ★ New Zealand Private Sector Shrinks for 2nd Month

The BusinessNZ Performance of Composite Index edged up to 49.4 in April 2026, from a downwardly revised 48.7 in March, which had been the weakest reading since the previous August. Although the index remained in contractionary territory for a second consecutive month, the pace of decline moderated. The services sector contracted for the third month in a row, while manufacturing posted its slowest expansion in seven months. New orders fell after posting growth in March, delivery times continued to lengthen, and both production growth and inventories of finished goods eased. In contrast, employment rose at an accelerated pace.