New Zealand’s imports rose 13.1% year-on-year to NZD 8.0 billion in August 2026, easing from a 28.4% surge in July. The latest increase was largely driven by higher purchases of petroleum and petroleum products (up 43%), vehicles, parts, and accessories (up 30%), electrical machinery and equipment (up 25%), and mechanical machinery and equipment (up 15%).
By country of origin, imports increased from China (29%), Australia (6.5%), South Korea (88%), and the European Union (17%), while imports from the United States declined by 8.9%.
