New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index closed 0.8% lower at 13,467 on Friday, dragged mainly by losses in health tech stocks. Leading the decline, medical device maker Fisher & Paykel Healthcare slumped 3.5%, while pharmaceutical supplier Ebos Group and cancer diagnostics company Pacific Edge slipped 0.4% and 2.0%, respectively. Aged care operators came also under pressure, with Ryman down 0.7% and Oceania losing 2.0%. Among other stocks, notable decliners included Infratil (-1.0%), Fletcher Building (-1.8%), and Air New Zealand (-1.65%). On the economic front, New Zealand's manufacturing sector remained in mild contraction in September as soft demand, rising costs, and cautious consumer spending continued to weigh on activity. Market sentiment was further weighed by weakness on Wall Street after funding bills aimed at ending the US government shutdown failed to pass the Senate for the seventh time on Thursday. For the week, the NZX 50 fell 0.35%.