New Zealand's manufacturing sector grew for the 11th straight month in October, according to the latest performance of manufacturing index (PMI) out Thursday.

The BNZ-Business New Zealand PMI for last month was 55.7, on a scale where above 50 indicates expansion and below 50 contraction, making it the highest October reading since 2007.

Overall, the PMI had averaged 56 since the start of 2013, according to Business New Zealand.

Executive director for manufacturing Catherine Beard said that if the PMI stayed positive for November and December, then 2013 would be the first calendar year with all 12 months showing expansion since 2007.

"While one should never count their chickens, the overall sentiment of the business community and level of consumer confidence displayed in other surveys at present show that the country is on track for on-going growth for some time," Beard said in a statement.

All five seasonally adjusted main diffusion indices were in expansion for October, led by new orders on 60.4, followed by production (57.2), deliveries of raw materials (55.1), finished stocks (51.2) and employment (52.1). Endi

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