New Zealand Balance of Trade

Last Release

Jan 31, 2025

Actual

-486

Units In

NZD Million

Frequency

Monthly

Next Release

Mar 20, 2025

Time to Release

25 Days 7 Hours

Highest	Lowest	Average	Date Range	Source
1,350.34 Apr 2020	-2,625 Aug 2022	-103.24 NZD Million	1951-2025	Statistics New Zealand

New Zealand is greatly dependent on international trade. New Zealand's economy has traditionally been based on a foundation of exports from its very efficient agricultural system: dairy products, meat, forest products, fruit and beverages. New Zealand imports mainly vehicles, machinery and equipment, petroleum, electronics, plastics and aircraft. Its main trading partners are: China, Australia, the US, Japan and South Korea.

Latest Updates

New Zealand’s trade balance showed a deficit of $486 million in January 2025, an improvement from the $1.088 billion deficit recorded in the same month last year. Goods exports surged by 28% to $6.2 billion, fueled by a significant rise in shipments of milk powder, butter, and cheese (+45%), meat and edible offal (+28%), logs and wood (+23%), and wine (+68%). On the import side, purchases grew by 13% to $6.7 billion, with notable increases in mechanical machinery (+46%), aircraft and parts (+165%), and inorganic chemicals (+74%). New Zealand's exports grew across key partners with China’s exports rising 27%, the USA's by 49%, Australia's up 24%, the EU’s increasing by 27%, and Japan's rising 30%. Among top trade partners, imports rose from China (45%), the EU (38%), Australia (28%), the US (43%), and Japan (8%).