WELLINGTON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's export earnings jumped 23 percent in August, but a monthly trade deficit of 1.2 billion NZ dollars (700 million U.S. dollars) remained as imports stayed comparatively high, Stats NZ reported Friday.
New Zealand's goods exports rose to 5.9 billion NZ dollars (3.46 billion U.S. dollars) in August 2025, driven by kiwifruit and dairy, the statistics department said.
Fruit exports surged 57 percent to 905 million NZ dollars (531 million U.S. dollars), with kiwifruit alone up 301 million NZ dollars (177 million U.S. dollars), it said, adding dairy products rose 32 percent to 1.1 billion NZ dollars (650 million U.S. dollars).
By market, exports to China climbed 35 percent to 343 million NZ dollars (201 million U.S. dollars) in August 2025, led by fruit, dairy, and wood. Sales to the European Union rose 52 percent to 210 million NZ dollars (123 million U.S. dollars), mainly fruit and meat, statistics show.
Shipments to Australia and the United States also grew, while exports to Japan fell 11 percent, dragged down by weaker dairy demand, Stats NZ said.
Imports slipped 0.4 percent to 7.1 billion NZ dollars (4.17 billion U.S. dollars) in August 2025. Purchases from China rose 6.2 percent, with sharp increases in fertilizers and vehicles, it said, adding imports from South Korea dropped 32 percent, reflecting a steep fall in petroleum shipments.
For the year ended August 2025, the annual trade deficit narrowed to 3 billion NZ dollars (1.76 billion U.S. dollars) from 9.4 billion NZ dollars (5.52 billion U.S. dollars) a year earlier, Stats NZ said. ■
