Hon GRANT ROBERTSON: BNZ and BusinessNZ released their latest Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) and Performance of Services Index (PSI) for July on Friday and Monday respectively. The seasonally adjusted PMI was 58.8 percent, up 2.6 points from June, and the highest result since April 2018. The key indices of new orders at 67.4 and production at 61.4 showed very positive expansion, although employment did remain weak. Similarly, the PSI for July was 54.3, the same as June, continuing the solid return to expansion seen since previous lockdown restrictions were eased. Both the PMI and PSI results were ahead of many of our international counterparts, including Australia, the US, Japan, and China. This is yet more data which shows the comparative advantage and resilience of the New Zealand economy. While the current resurgence is obviously presenting economic challenges, our strategy of going hard and early to contain outbreaks while cushioning the blow to businesses will put the economy in a better position to bounce back soon. 