Christchurch QUARTERLY REVIEW

Christchurch QUARTERLY REVIEW D E C E M B E R 1 9 9 6 In Christchurch this quarter... British Overseas Trade Services team visit to promote business opportunities Park Royal Hotel commences $5 million refurbishment programme Heinz-Wattie reorganisation may affect Christchurch jobs 2,000 part time and 100 full time jobs at risk if Applefields closes all 19 orchards

Trends this quarter... Population March 1996 309,028 + 6.9% (+ 19,951) from March 1991 Births September 1996 quarter 1,101 + 2.1% (+ 23) from September 1995 quarter Deaths September 1996 quarter 828 + 0.2% (+ 2) from September 1995 quarter Migration December 1996 quarter Permanent and long-term arrivals 1,517-5.4% (- 87) from December 1995 quarter Employment December 1996 quarter Canterbury Region 232,000 + 3.8% (+ 8,400) from December 1995 quarter Unemployment Rate December 1996 quarter Canterbury Region 6.3% up 0.3 percentage points from December 1995 quarter CPI December 1996 quarter Christchurch Urban Area 1,082 + 6 index points from September 1996 quarter New Dwellings Year ended December 1996 Number 1,976-15.0% (- 349) from year ended December 1995 Consent Value Year ended December 1996 Total non-residential consents $283.1m + 21.7% (+ 50.4m) from year ended December 1995

Feature Article - Geographic Building Blocks Introduction All data collected by Statistics New Zealand is referenced and classified by both time and location. Statistics New Zealand has developed a geographic hierarchy which enables statistical data to be compared for defined geographic locations regardless of boundary changes which may have occurred over time. Two systems have been developed by Statistics New Zealand to enable users of geographic data to perform time series analysis. The New Zealand Geostatistical System (NZGSS) contains an extensive street listing, constantly updated by data received from territorial authorities, Electoral Enrolment Centre and Land Information New Zealand. The NZGSS enables any address to be geocoded to a unique meshblock. The NZGSS also contains other address related data such as important commercial buildings, schools etc., which may be used to geocode a location where the exact address is unknown. The Classifications and Related Standards System (CARS) enables the geographic linkages between the meshblock and higher layers within the geographic classification to be achieved. The CARS system is used to enable the compilation of statistics for territorial authorities, regional councils, employment districts etc., by aggregating appropriate meshblocks. The Meshblock The basic building block is called the meshblock. The meshblock is the smallest geographic area for which Statistics New Zealand produces statistics. Meshblocks are defined parcels of land and may vary in size from a city block to a vast tract of rural land. Meshblock boundaries are aligned to legally defined cadastral boundaries wherever possible. The meshblock pattern covers both land and water, including New Zealand s two hundred mile economic zone. Meshblocks are defined as one of five types: mainland, island, inland water (including lakes and rivers), inlet, (including bays, estuaries and harbours), and oceanic. Maintenance of the meshblock pattern is undertaken continuously. Meshblock boundaries may be amended in the following ways: splitting or sub-dividing meshblocks, nudging or modifying meshblock boundaries, and amalgamation or combining meshblocks. Splitting is the sub-division of a meshblock into two or more new meshblocks. This may occur to accommodate changes to legally or administratively defined boundaries such as territorial authorities, regional councils, electoral districts, urban areas, Population Census districts etc. Splitting may also occur when the meshblock population becomes too large or where anticipated population growth may lead to a meshblock becoming too large. The nudging of meshblock boundaries involves modification or shifting of the boundary to a more pertinent position. The nudging of meshblock boundaries is only permitted where splitting of meshblocks would establish small, irrational meshblocks which would have no statistical significance or purpose. Nudges must follow certain rules, for example, the nudging of meshblock boundaries must have little or no statistical effect on either economic or human populations. The amalgamation of meshblocks is permitted only once in every five years where small, statistically insignificant meshblocks exist. To date no meshblocks have been amalgamated. A constant meshblock pattern is available but is applicable for only a 12 month period from 1 January of any year. The 1997 meshblock pattern contains 36,808 meshblocks covering the whole of New Zealand (including some off-shore islands such as the Kermadecs and Dog Island, the 200 mile economic zone and Ross Dependency).

On average, a meshblock will contain approximately 40 dwellings and 100 people. However, due to the process of splitting meshblocks, there are a number of meshblocks with no dwellings or population. C H R I S T C H U R C H Q U A R T E R L Y R E V I E W December 1996 Urban Areas Several types of statistical spatial units have been developed by Statistics New Zealand to encompass groupings of local authorities. The Area Unit The next level up in the geographic hierarchy is the area unit, a non-administrative link between meshblocks and territorial authorities. Area units must either define, or aggregate to define, territorial authorities, urban areas, regional councils, electoral districts and statistical areas. Area Units do not define or aggregate to define wards or regional constituencies. Following the complete re-organisation of local government boundaries in New Zealand in 1989, an extensive review of the area unit pattern was conducted. At the same time, the periodic review of urban area and statistical area boundaries was also carried out. This activity resulted in extensive changes to the area unit pattern. A further review of area units was conducted in 1995. Each area unit must be a single geographic entity with a unique name referring to a geographical feature. Area units are exact aggregations of one or more meshblocks. Area units aggregate exactly to form: territorial authorities, regions, statistically defined urban areas, rural centres and statistical areas. Area units do not define territorial authority wards, community boards, parliamentary electorates or any administrative boundary other than those listed above. Area units vary considerably in both population and size. Area units of main or secondary urban areas generally coincide with suburbs or parts thereof. Area units within urban areas normally contain 3,000-5,000 population though this can vary due to such things as industrial areas, port areas, rural areas and so on within the urban area boundaries. In rural areas, the straddling of some territorial authorities over regional boundaries has resulted in a number of area units having only two or three meshblocks and a very low population count. Taupo District, which is predominantly in the Waikato Region, includes separate area units for the parts of the district that lie within the Bay of Plenty, Hawke s Bay and Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council areas. Urban areas are statistically defined areas with no administrative or legal basis. Each urban area is defined by an aggregation of area units. Urban areas have been defined to encompass a completely built-up urbanised centre, without the distortions caused by territorial authority boundaries. Each urban area comprises a significant urban centre together with neighbouring urban authorities and parts of surrounding districts which can be regarded as suburbs. Urban areas are defined with sufficiently expansive buffer areas that substantial urban growth could be accommodated within. Rural Centres Rural centres were established during the 1989 review of geostatistical boundaries. Rural centres have no administrative or legal status but are statistical units defined by complete area units. They have a population between 300 and 999. Rural centres are not termed urban under the standard international definition, but identifying these settlements enables users to distinguish between rural dwellers living in true rural areas and those living in rural settlements or townships. Population is the only criterion used to define a rural centre. Consistency over time Although the meshblock pattern is not constant over time, a concordance has been established between the meshblock pattern for each year. The CARS system enables a data user to trace the history of a meshblock over time. In addition to this, the five yearly Population Census datasets from 1981 onwards have been rebased to 1996 meshblock boundaries. This means that all Population Census datasets from 1981 onwards will be available, on a consistent geographic pattern, for data analysis.

Geographic Hierarchy Meshblock Ward Constituency Area Unit Territorial Authority Regional

Christchurch City in Brief The People NB 1996 age-sex distributions not yet available 8.5 percent of New Zealand usually resident population. The second most populated local authority third highest population density compared with all other local authorities above average proportion of European ethnic group below average proportion of people aged < 15 years above average proportion of people aged > 55 years Housing slightly above average proportion of dwellings owned without a mortgage slightly below average weekly dwelling rent below average occupancy rate Manufacturing 31.0 percent of total employment in manufacturing is in the fabricated metal products industry. Christchurch City employs the second highest number of full-time equivalents for this industry the food, beverages and tobacco industry accounts for a further 19.1 percent of employment in manufacturing Business approximately 22.2 percent of full-time equivalents employed in the manufacturing industry Tourism Cathedral / Cathedral Square Christchurch Tram Botanic Gardens / Hagley Park Arts Centre Antarctic Centre The Christchurch Gondola Orana Park Christchurch Casino Ferrymead Historic Park Local Government 0.2 percent of total New Zealand land area Christchurch City Council Fendalton-Waimairi Ward Shirley-Papanui Ward Burwood-Pegasus Ward Riccarton-Wigram Ward Spreydon-Heathcote Ward Hagley-Ferrymead Ward Main Urban Centres Christchurch Urban Area

Population Census 310 305 300 Usually Resident Population Christchurch City Population (000s) 295 290 285 280 275 270 265 1986 1991 1996 The usually resident population of Christchurch City totalled 309,028 as at March 1996. Christchurch City now contains 8.5 percent of the usually resident population of New Zealand. Since the 1991 Population Census, the population usually resident in the city has increased by 19,951 people or 6.9 percent compared to a rise of 7.2 percent for the New Zealand usually resident population during the same period. As at March 1996, there were an estimated 682.2 people per square kilometre compared to the New Zealand average of 13.1 people per square kilometre. Population Change 1991-1996 Usually Resident Population Population Change Territorial Authority March 1996 Number Percent Christchurch City 309,028 19,951 6.9 Auckland City 345,768 39,560 12.9 North Shore City 172,164 19,517 12.8 Waitakere City 155,565 18,564 13.6 Manukau City 254,278 28,280 12.5 Wellington City 157,646 9,207 6.2 Lower Hutt City 95,872 990 1.0 Porirua City 46,626 83 0.2 Waimakariri District 32,347 4,473 16.0 Banks Peninsula District 7,581 597 8.5 Selwyn District 24,783 3,461 16.2 Dunedin City 118,143 3,640 3.2

Births and Deaths 1,150 Number of Live Births in Christchurch City 1,100 Births 1,050 1,000 950 900 Dec-94 Mar-95 Jun-95 Sep-95 Dec-95 Mar-96 Jun-96 Sep-96 Quarter The number of live births in Christchurch City increased during the September 1996 quarter to reach 1,101. For the year ended September 1996, a total of 4,097 live births were registered in the city compared to 4,196 for the previous September year, a fall of 2.4 percent. The city registered 7.1 percent of all live births in New Zealand during the year ended September 1996. The number of deaths in Christchurch City totalled 828 during the September 1996 quarter. For the year ended September 1996, a total of 2,836 deaths were registered in the city compared to 2,664 for the previous September year, a rise of 6.5 percent. 900 800 700 600 Number of Deaths in Christchurch City Deaths 500 400 300 200 100 0 Dec-94 Mar-95 Jun-95 Sep-95 Dec-95 Mar-96 Jun-96 Sep-96 Quarter

External Migration 7,000 Permanent and Long-term Overseas Arrivals Years Ended December 6,000 5,000 Number 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 There were 6,045 permanent and long-term arrivals in Christchurch City during the year ended December 1996. This represented 7.7 percent of all immigrants who arrived in New Zealand during that time. The year ended December figure represented a 2.8 percent decrease in arrivals to the city over the year ended December 1995, compared with a national increase of 1.9 percent. There were 4,580 permanent and long-term departures from Christchurch City during the year ended December 1996. The arrival and departure of overseas residents during the year ended December 1996 resulted in a net increase of 1,465 to the city. Net Permanent and Long-term Migration Year Ended December 1996 Arrivals Departures Net Migration Christchurch City 6,045 4,580 1,465 Auckland City 18,172 8,122 10,050 North Shore City 4,884 3,265 1,619 Waitakere City 2,633 2,314 319 Manukau City 5,989 4,096 1,893 Wellington City 4,541 4,197 344 Lower Hutt City 977 1,200-223 Porirua City 501 771-270 Waimakariri District 281 340-59 Banks Peninsula District 95 128-33 Selwyn District 316 204 112 Dunedin City 1,742 1,716 26

Employment by Industry Employment by Industry Major Division As at February 1996 Community Retail Trade Manufacturing Bus. Services Transport Construction Electricity Agriculture Mining 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000 FTEs A total of 128,440 full-time equivalents (FTEs) were employed in Christchurch City as at February 1996. This represented 9.9 percent of total FTEs in New Zealand. The largest industry in terms of FTEs was the Community, Social and Personal Services industry which accounted for 27.2 percent of all FTE persons engaged in the city. The Wholesale and Retail Trade, Restaurants and Hotels industry accounted for a further 23.7 percent of total FTE employment in the city. Employment by Industry Major Division NZSIC Major Division (1) Full-time Equivalents Employed 1995 1996 Agricultural Services, Hunting, Forestry and Fishing 618 580 Mining and Quarrying 75 110 Manufacturing 28,875 28,530 Electricity, Gas and Water 855 890 Construction 8,223 8,740 Wholesale and Retail Trade, Restaurants and Hotels 30,501 30,460 Transport, Storage and Communication 8,862 9,410 Business and Financial Services 13,677 14,800 Community, Social and Personal Services 32,913 34,930 TOTAL 124,599 128,440

Employment C H R I S T C H U R C H Q U A R T E R L Y R E V I E W December 1996 Unemployment Rate Canterbury and New Zealand 7.0 6.5 6.0 5.5 5.0 % 4.5 4.0 3.5 3.0 Canterbury New Zealand 2.5 Mar-95 Jun-95 Sep-95 Dec-95 Mar-96 Jun-96 Sep-96 Dec-96 Quarter The size of the Canterbury regional labour force totalled 247,500 during the December 1996 quarter. The number of people employed increased by 8,400 or 3.8 percent from the same quarter of the previous year which was not statistically significant. Unemployment in the Canterbury region totalled 15,500 during the December 1996 quarter. The unemployment rate for the region was 6.3 percent compared to 6.0 percent 12 months earlier. Compared with the 11 other Household Labour Force Survey regions, the Canterbury region ranks in position 7 in terms of the percentage of the labour force unemployed. The New Zealand unemployment rate for the December 1996 quarter was 6.0 percent. Note these figures have not been seasonally adjusted. Unemployment Rate Region December 1995 December 1996 Northland 10.8 6.6 Auckland 5.1 5.1 Waikato 6.3 6.0 Bay of Plenty 8.3 8.6 Gisborne/Hawke s Bay 6.0 7.5 Taranaki 6.5 7.3 Manawatu-Wanganui 7.6 5.8 Wellington 6.8 6.0 Tasman/Nelson/Marlborough/West Coast 4.0 7.0 Canterbury 6.0 6.3 Otago 6.7 4.5 Southland 5.5 4.8

Number of Business Locations Retail Trade Bus. Services Community Construction Manufacturing Transport Agriculture Mining Electricity Number of Business Locations by Industry As at February 1996 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 Number Christchurch City contains 8.5 percent of all the businesses in New Zealand. A total of 19,234 businesses were located within the city as at February 1996. The principal industry within Christchurch City was the Wholesale and Retail Trade, Restaurants and Hotels industry, which accounted for 29.0 percent of all businesses within the city. Other significant industries within the city included the Business and Financial Services industry. Number of Business Locations per Local Authority February years Number of Business Locations Local Authority 1995 1996 % Change Christchurch City 18,872 19,234 1.9 Auckland City 33,750 35,461 5.1 North Shore City 12,058 12,958 7.5 Waitakere City 8,023 8,603 7.2 Manukau City 12,019 12,685 5.5 Wellington City 13,542 13,970 3.2 Lower Hutt City 5,674 5,869 3.4 Porirua City 1,784 1,869 4.8 Waimakariri District 1,591 1,560-1.9 Banks Peninsula District 494 520 5.3 Selwyn District 1,111 1,150 3.5 Dunedin City 5,944 6,019 1.3

Consumers Price Index 4.5 Annual Increase in CPI Christchurch Urban Area From same quarter of previous year Base: December quarter 1993 4.0 3.5 Annual Change % 3.0 2.5 2.0 1.5 1.0 0.5 0.0 Mar-95 Jun-95 Sep-95 Dec-95 Mar-96 Jun-96 Sep-96 Dec-96 Quarter Prices are surveyed within the main urban areas. During the December 1996 quarter the Christchurch urban area experienced a rise of 0.6 percent in consumer prices compared to a national rise of 0.7 percent. During the year ended December 1996 the Consumers Price Index for the Christchurch urban area increased by 2.4 percent compared with a national increase of 2.6 percent. Tauranga Rotorua Invercargill Wanganui Palmerston North Wellington Auckland Dunedin Napier-Hastings New Plymouth Nelson Christchurch Timaru Whangarei Hamilton Annual Increase in CPI by Urban Area Year Ended December 1996 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 %

Retail Trade C H R I S T C H U R C H Q U A R T E R L Y R E V I E W December 1996 Quarterly Retail Trade Canterbury Region 1,350 1,300 1,250 $ (million) 1,200 1,150 1,100 1,050 Jun-95 Sep-95 Dec-95 Mar-96 Jun-96 Sep-96 Dec-96 Retail sales in the Canterbury region during the December 1996 quarter amounted to $1,337.4 million, up $4.9 million, or 0.4 percent from the December 1995 quarter. Nationally, actual retail sales amounted to $10,397.1 million, up 2.5 percent from the December 1995 quarter. Change in Retail Sales From Same Quarter of Previous Year Hawke's Bay West Coast Marlborough Northland Otago Taranaki Tasman Nelson Manawatu-Wanganui Auckland Bay of Plenty Wellington Waikato Canterbury Gisborne Southland -2 0 2 4 6 8 10 %

Household Expenditure Estimated Household Expenditure per Expenditure Group Year Ended March 1996 25 20 Christchurch City New Zealand Cents per dollar 15 10 5 0 Housing Food Transport Other Services Household Operation Expenditure Group During the year ended March 1996 households in Christchurch City on average spent an estimated $626.21 per week, 5.0 percent lower than the national average of $659.03 per week. Expenditure on housing contributed most to average household expenditure in the city. On average, households in Christchurch City spent an estimated $126.38 per week on Housing compared to the national average of $125.55 per week. Average Total Weekly Household Expenditure Year Ended March 1996 Other Goods Apparel

Building Consents New Dwellings Authorised Years Ended December 2,500 2,000 Number 1,500 1,000 500 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 During the year ended December 1996, a total of 1,976 new dwelling units worth $239.1 million were authorised for construction within Christchurch City. This represented a fall of 15.0 percent in number and a fall of 6.1 percent in value from the previous year. There were 1,058 building consents issued for the construction and alteration of non-residential buildings, a fall of 1.7 percent from the year ended December 1995, compared to a 5.2 percent increase nationally during the same period. The value of non-residential building consents was $283.1 million, up 21.7 percent from the previous year. $ million 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 Value of Non-Residential Building Consents by Type Year Ended December 1996 Hostels Hotels Hospitals Education Social Shops Offices Warehouses Factories Farm Miscellaneous

Overseas Cargo Loaded 2,500 Cargo Loaded Years Ended December 2,000 (000 tonnes) 1,500 1,000 500 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 During the year ended December 1996, the amount of cargo loaded at the ports of Christchurch City was 2,225,380 tonnes. This was a 8.4 percent increase from the previous year, compared to a national increase of 9.2 percent during the same period. Cargo valued at $2,678.9 million was loaded at the ports of Christchurch City during the year ended December 1996. This represented a 4.8 percent increase in value compared to the previous year. Overseas Cargo Loaded by Port of Loading Year Ended December 1996 Port Gross Weight (tonnes) F.O.B ($ millions) Whangarei 626,784 285.0 Auckland 2,109,555 5,505.8 Tauranga 5,732,821 2,998.5 Taharoa 1,338,505 21.5 Gisborne 429,768 123.1 New Plymouth 3,373,943 1,133.4 Napier 1,128,189 1,330.4 Wellington 686,916 1,698.9 Nelson 978,728 627.7 Westport 2,645 0.1 Picton 90,621 27.0 Lyttelton 2,209,531 2,139.2 Timaru 294,765 477.2 Dunedin 630,500 1,142.2 Invercargill (Bluff) 636,753 723.3 Auckland Airport 69,461 2,672.0 Hamilton 8 0.2 Wellington Airport 3,309 98.2 Christchurch Airport 15,848 539.6 Dunedin Airport 39 0.9 Total all cargo (including parcel post) 20,358,692 21,552.8

Overseas Cargo Unloaded 800 700 600 Cargo Unloaded Years Ended December (000 tonnes) 500 400 300 200 100 0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 During the year ended December 1996, the amount of cargo unloaded at the ports of Christchurch City was 787,449 tonnes. This was a 3.0 percent increase from the previous year, compared to a national increase of 4.2 percent during the same period. Cargo valued at $1,738.8 million was unloaded at the ports of Christchurch City during the year ended December 1996. This represented a 3.3 percent decrease in value compared to the previous year. Overseas Cargo Unloaded by Port of Unloading Year Ended December 1996 Port Gross Weight (tonnes) C.I.F ($ millions) Whangarei 3,802,837 875.4 Auckland 3,140,405 10,525.4 Tauranga 1,213,054 439.5 Gisborne 9,827 6.6 New Plymouth 250,701 116.5 Napier 412,326 311.0 Wellington 789,747 1,375.8 Nelson 55,664 141.9 Lyttelton 778,847 1,299.0 Timaru 122,174 140.9 Dunedin 203,857 183.7 Invercargill (Bluff) 906,967 442.9 Auckland Airport 76,609 4,619.2 Hamilton 5 0.2 Wellington Airport 4,661 177.2 Christchurch Airport 8,601 439.8 Dunedin Airport 3 0.1 Total all cargo (including parcel post) 11,776,551 21,151.0

Technical Notes... About the Quarterly Review The Quarterly Review brings together the latest available data on the regions and local authorities of New Zealand. Most of the data is available at regional council or local authority level. Overseas trade statistics are only available for regional councils. The Quarterly Review is available on subscription from any Statistics New Zealand Information Help Desk. Where the data comes from The following surveys and collections have been used to produce the data: Building Consents Census of Population and Dwellings Consumers Price Index Surveys Household Economic Survey Household Labour Force Survey Overseas Cargo Statistics Annual Business Directory Update Survey Registered Births and Deaths Arrival and departures cards Some statistics are produced by integrating data. For example regional household expenditure estimates are produced using Census of Population and Dwellings and Household Economic Survey data. Producing regional statistics 1. Geographical Classifications The geographical classification used relates to regional council and local authority boundaries as at 1 July 1992. In some cases, due to a number of factors, data may not relate directly to a specific regional council or territorial authority. Refer to the subject matter notes section for further details. Geographical classifications are used to reference data to a location in New Zealand. There are different types of area codes that can be assigned to data. They may define an area as small as a city block, or as large as a regional council. Data sources that are coded to different geographical classifications are difficult to compare simply because the land areas involved may differ in both location and size. 2. Sample Design In order to produce reliable statistics for sub-national areas, there must be adequate coverage of the subject population. This means that the geographic coverage of the survey must be representative for each of the sub-national areas, and the sample size large enough to enable the calculation of estimates with reasonable sample errors. CPI data is collected for urban areas only. Overseas trade data is collected by port only. While this data is an indicator of regional trends, it does not relate specifically to a single regional council or local authority. 3. Sub-national Estimates There are methods available for producing sub-national data, when the sample design is only suited to producing national totals. One such case where these methods have been applied is regional household expenditure. Estimates are produced by combining Population Census data (which has total coverage, hence all sub-national areas are included) with Household Economic Survey data. Estimates of spending on various goods and services are modelled using household characteristics and expenditure information collected in the HES, then these models are applied to Population Census data to produce sub-national estimates of household expenditure. Subject Matter Notes 1. Census of Population and Dwellings The census figures presented in the Quarterly Review are based on the population usually resident in New Zealand. Usual residence is the address of the dwelling or place where a person considers himself or herself usually to live, and may differ from the place at which a person is enumerated on census night. Overseas residents who were temporarily in the country at the time of the census are excluded from the counts of the population usually resident in New Zealand, as are the people who were living overseas but working in New Zealand. This population is also frequently referred to as the de jure population. 2. Urban Population Urban population includes all urban areas with a population of 1,000 people or more. 3. Births Live births exclude late registrations under Section 14 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1951. Section 14 births are births which were not registered in the ordinary way when the birth occurred. Such registrations can occur as late as the time of application for New Zealand Superannuation.

4. Permanent and Long-term Overseas Arrivals The classification of passengers is primarily determined by individual passenger s responses on the international arrival and departure cards to the questions on intended or actual length of stay/absence. Data users should recognise the limitations inherent in the information supplied by travellers. Permanent and long-term arrivals include overseas visitors who arrive in New Zealand intending to stay for a period of 12 months or more, plus New Zealand residents returning after an absence of 12 months or more. 5. Employment This data is subject to sampling errors. The smaller the population of a sub-national area, the higher the sampling error is likely to be. This data should be used with caution. The data in the Quarterly Review has not been seasonally adjusted. 6. Number of Business Locations Business locations represent separate operating units, engaged in New Zealand in one, or predominantly one kind of economic activity, from a single location or base from which work is carried out. Agriculture and livestock production is excluded from this Quarterly Review. 7. Consumers Price Index The surveys from which the Consumers Price Index has been calculated were mainly conducted in the middle period of the quarter, centred on the 15th of the second month. Prices are surveyed in 15 urban areas. These are: Whangarei, Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Napier-Hastings, New Plymouth, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin and Invercargill. In general, for the Quarterly Review, the nearest or largest urban area where price surveys were conducted has been used to indicate price movements for the area covered by this review. 8. Household Expenditure Expenditure estimates are based on the integration of data from the Household Expenditure Survey for the year ended 31 March 1996 and the 1991 Population Census. Refer to the March 1996 Quarterly Review for a summary of the methodology used. 9. Building Consents Data shown in the Quarterly Review includes building consents for the construction, alteration and addition to all building types. The data in this bulletin has not been seasonally adjusted. 10. Value of Building Work by Type Refer to Building Consents note above. Tables on the diskette The data used to produce this bulletin is contained in Excel tables located on the disk enclosed. Other formats may also be able to be arranged. Contact an Information Help Desk for further information. Further Information Information about regional statistics produced by Statistics New Zealand can be found in the Directory of Regional Statistics, available from any Information Help Desk. The directory outlines the different publications and database products available from Statistics New Zealand, and the regional information contained in them. Further information about how the different surveys are conducted may be found in the technical notes of the Hot Off The Press released for each of the surveys. Information is also available on INFOS, SNZ s Information Network For Official Statistics. Auckland 0-9-358 4588 fax 0-9-379 0859 Wellington 0-4-495 4600 fax 0-4-495 4722 Christchurch 0-3-374 8700 fax 0-3-374 8864 Dunedin 0-3-477 7511 fax 0-3-477 5243 Next Quarterly Review will be released in June 1997