New Zealand Trade Rises in October as Deficit Widens
New Zealand’s foreign trade picked up pace in October, with both imports and exports climbing month over month. Despite the stronger activity, a larger import bill meant the monthly trade deficit widened. The kiwi dollar showed a muted reaction to the figures.
Imports increased to NZ.04 billion in October from NZ.17 billion in the prior month, while exports advanced to NZ.50 billion from NZ.70 billion. The faster rise in imports led to a monthly trade deficit of NZ$1.54 billion, compared with a NZ$1.34 billion shortfall previously.
On a year-to-date basis, the trade gap narrowed modestly to NZ$2.28 billion from NZ$2.39 billion, pointing to gradual improvement across 2025. The NZD was little moved on the release, with recent price action dominated by broader risk sentiment rather than domestic trade data.
Key Points – Imports rose to NZ$8.04bn in October (from NZ$7.17bn). – Exports increased to NZ$6.50bn (from NZ$5.70bn). – Monthly trade deficit widened to NZ$1.54bn (from NZ$1.34bn). – Year-to-date trade deficit improved to NZ$2.28bn (from NZ$2.39bn). – Kiwi dollar was largely unchanged, with moves driven by broader risk sentiment. – Both imports and exports posted month-on-month gains, signaling firmer trade flows.
