WELLINGTON, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Prices paid by producers for goods and services in New Zealand rose 2.9 percent in the June 2026 quarter from the previous quarter, official data showed on Wednesday.
The growth was faster than the 1.6 percent increase in prices received by producers, Stats NZ said in a statement.
The figures are from the producers price index, which measures changes in input prices that incur operating expenses and outputs that generate operating income for producers, said the statistics department.
"In the June 2026 quarter, prices paid by producers for inputs like fuel, power, and raw materials rose faster than prices received for the goods and services they produced," Stats NZ prices and deflators spokesperson Nicola Growden was quoted as saying.
Higher prices in the rail, water, air and other transport industries, electricity and gas supply, and road transport were the largest contributors to the increase in input prices paid by producers, the department said.
Prices for other petroleum products, including aviation fuel and lubricants, rose 34.9 percent, while diesel prices increased 52.6 percent and petrol prices rose 20 percent in the same period, statistics showed.
"Higher prices for fuel contributed to the rise in input prices," said Growden.
For output prices, electricity and gas supply, dairy product manufacturing and road transport were the largest contributors to the quarterly increase.
Farm expenses also rose 3.8 percent on average across all farm types, with fuel, fertilizer and livestock purchases the largest contributors, Growden said. ■