Manufacturing appears to have recovered after falling late last year.
The fall in the dollar appears to have given manufacturing a boost, despite the general economic slowdown, a survey says.
The Business New Zealand Performance of Manufacturing Index stood at 58.2 in May, the highest level since December 2004.
Areading above 50 indicates manufacturing activity is expanding.
May is the fourth consecutive month in which manufacturing has grown after five months of declines.
Business NZ said: "After positive results for the previous three months, the May 2006 result shows a strong lift in activity, spurred on by strong levels for production and new orders.
"The lower value of the dollar has been seen as a positive result for most export-oriented manufacturers."
After rising above US74c early last year, the kiwi has dropped sharply, closing at US62.13c last night.
