The number of manufacturing jobs in Northland has fallen by more than 28 per cent in less than five years, a sign that there were no plans to lift the region's economy, Labour leader David Shearer says.
Last year Labour, the Greens, New Zealand First and Mana launched a parliamentary inquiry into the condition of New Zealand's manufacturing sector and this month released a report that included a series of recommendations to get New Zealand's manufacturing sector growing again. The inquiry found that 40,000 manufacturing jobs had been lost since December 2008.
Statistic NZ's Household Labour Force Survey shows that in December 2008 there were 6600 manufacturing jobs in Northland, but that had dropped to 4700 by the end of March this year, a 28.7 per cent fall.
Mr Shearer said that was one of the largest drops in the country and something needed to be done to improve conditions for manufacturing in Northland.
He said to do that Labour would implement the recommendations from the inquiry report, including adopting a national procurement policy that favours Kiwi-made and ensures that New Zealand manufacturers enjoy the same advantages as their international competitors; research and development tax credits; a fairer and less volatile exchange rate through reforms to monetary policy; refocusing capital investment into the productive economy, rather than housing speculation and lowering structural costs such as electricity prices.