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Story: Furniture

Furniture workshops and employees

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This graph shows the rapid decline in the number of people employed in furniture making since the beginning of the 21st century. This has been largely due to increased cheap imports from China, leading to the closure of many local furniture factories. The number of furniture workshops has not shown the same precipitous fall, suggesting that bespoke furniture makers have maintained a market niche.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: Statistics New Zealand

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How to cite this page

William Cottrell, Furniture – 21st-century developments, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/graph/39827/furniture-workshops-and-employees (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by William Cottrell, published 3 December 2012.