The New Zealand economy grew strongly in the first quarter, driven mostly by ideal growing conditions in the dairy sector, Statistics NZ said today.
Economic activity, as measured by gross domestic product grew by 1.1 percent in the first three months of 2012.
This followed revised growth of 0.4 percent in each of the previous three quarters.
Compared with the March 2011 quarter, economic activity in the March 2012 quarter was up 2.4 percent.
For the year ended March 2012, economic activity was up 1.7 percent compared with the year ended March 2011.
"This quarter we saw growth spread across a number of industries, while in previous quarters the industry picture had been more mixed with growth in some industries offset by falls in others," Statistics NZ's national accounts manager Rachael Milicich said.
"Continued good growing conditions have been a major factor in the growth this quarter, and is reflected in both the milk production in agriculture and in meat and dairy manufacturing."
