New Zealand’s goods exports rose by 2.9% yoy to NZD 7.2B in May, marking the first time that monthly exports have surpassed the NZD 7B mark. Goods imports also saw a slight increase, rising by 0.6% yoy to NZD 7.0B. This resulted in a trade surplus of NZD 204m, exceeding the expected NZD 155m.
Breaking down the top monthly export movements by country, New Zealand saw mixed results. Exports to China fell by -12% yoy, and exports to Australia dropped by -3.8% yoy. In contrast, exports to the US surged by 33% yoy, while exports to the EU and Japan rose by 2.8% yoy and 12% yoy, respectively.
On the import side, imports from China increased by 2.6% yoy, while imports from the EU decreased by -1.8% yoy. Imports from Australia -4.7% yoy, whereas imports from the US and South Korea rose by 1.6% yoy and 5.8% yoy, respectively.