In February 2025, New Zealand's trade balance transitioned to a surplus of $510 million, a notable improvement from the $315 million deficit recorded in the same month the previous year. Goods exports experienced a significant surge of 16%, reaching $954 million. This growth was largely fueled by substantial increases in the exports of milk powder, butter, and cheese, which rose by 27%, meat and edible offal by 28%, preparations comprising milk, cereals, flour, and starch by 61%, and fruit by an impressive 122%. Meanwhile, imports grew modestly by 2.1%, totaling $125 million. Key sectors contributing to this increase included mechanical machinery and equipment, which soared by 21%, fertilizers with an exceptional 543% rise, aircraft and parts, which surged by 112%, and iron and steel products, which expanded by 17%.
Exports saw growth across several major markets: a 16% rise to China, 17% to Australia, 37% to the European Union, and a 7.4% increase to Japan. However, exports to the United States experienced a decline of 5.5%. On the import side among New Zealand's top trading partners, there was a 3.8% increase from China and a 41% rise from the United States. Conversely, imports decreased by 3.3% from the European Union, 9.3% from Australia, and fell significantly by 57% from South Korea.
