NZ manufacturing activity accelerates in April as building consents pick up

NZ manufacturing activity accelerates in April as building consents pick up
Paul McBeth
By Paul McBeth May 11 (BusinessDesk) - New Zealand's manufacturing activity accelerated in April, bouncing back from a lull in the first three months of the year, as a pick up in building intentions stoked production among building materials companies.  The BusinessNZ-Bank of New Zealand performance of manufacturing index rose to a seasonally adjusted 58.9 in April from 53.1 in March and higher than the 56.4 reading a year earlier. A reading above 50 separates expanding activity from contraction. The pace of expansion had slowed in the tw...