Hastings leads way in Bay export stakes

Hastings District is the export powerhouse for Hawke's Bay, sending 25 per cent of the region's exports through Napier Port, followed by Central Hawke's Bay with 13 per cent, Wairoa 6 per cent and Napier City 5 per cent, according to Statistics New Zealand's Snapshot of Hawke's Bay.

It shows the region has nearly three times more people working in agriculture, forestry and fishing than the national average.

Agriculture was the second-biggest contributor to the region's Gross Domestic Product, which was $633 million to the year ended March 2012, but had the most employees ahead of manufacturing, healthcare and social assistance, retail and education.

In the 2013 census there were 73,030 paid employees compared with 1,941,040 for all of New Zealand, a decrease of 2 per cent from the year ended February 2006.

Manufacturing has the largest share of GDP with $850 million, followed by agriculture with $633 million; rental, hiring and real estate services with $441 million and healthcare/social assistance with $422 million.

Meat and meat products such as tallow were the largest commodity exported from Napier Port - valued at $793 million. Thanks to Pan Pac's mill in Whirinaki, pulp, paper and paperboard were the second-biggest commodity exported at $221 million.

Third was fruit and nuts at $177 million, fourth was wool at $148 million and fifth was hides at $91 million.

Napier Port recently reported 41 per cent of its exports by volume went to China - many sourced from outside the region - but in dollar terms Hawke's Bay-sourced port exports to China made up 24.9 per cent of exports at $489 million, the US second with 10.7 per cent and $210 million, Japan third with 9.1 per cent and $179 million.