IT Industry A Top Performer in New Zealand

The IT industry is a significant contributor to the New Zealand economy. The latest figures show that domestically IT is a $3.2 billion market that has grown 13.2% from the 1995 to the 1996 financial year, Hon Maurice Williamson, the Minister for Information Technology said today.

The market figure comprises sales of computer hardware at $1.7 billion (a 13% increase) and software and services sales of $1.5 billion (a 12.6% increase). The third component, IT training and education, was worth $44 million in 1996, said Mr Williamson.

Exports of IT commodities are only a fraction of the domestic IT market at $292 million. This is a 5% increase on the 1995 figure of $279 million, primarily due to a 20% increase in exports of software and computer services to $122 million.

Overall the figures show the IT sector is growing strongly and is a dynamic performer in our competitive economy, Mr Williamson said.

The figures are taken from the third annual Information Technology survey conducted by Statistics New Zealand, which aims to measure the size of the New Zealand IT industry.

The survey results will be included in the 1997 edition of Ministry of Commerces Statistics on Information Technology in New Zealand publication, due to be released shortly. The survey is jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, Statistics NZ, the Trade Development Board and the Information Technology Association of NZ.