The volume of manufacturing sales has risen modestly.
Official figures show the seasonally adjusted volume rose 0.5 percent in the three months to March.
That compares with a 5.4 percent gain in the previous quarter, which was due to a rebound in dairy production from drought conditions in the first half of 2013.
Statistics New Zealand said the main contribution in this year's March quarter came from chemical and petroleum industries.
Excluding meat and dairy sales, manufacturing volumes rose 0.7 percent.
The value of sales rose 0.6 percent to $25.3 billion.