WELLINGTON, June 19 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's exports rose 18 percent year-on-year in May to reach 8.9 billion NZ dollars (5.12 billion U.S. dollars), driven by strong gains in meat shipments, official data showed on Friday.
Meat, dairy, aluminum and fruit accounted for 61 percent of the increase in the value of May exports, Stats NZ reported.
Meat exports led the gains, up 43 percent to 1.5 billion NZ dollars, the department said, adding that frozen beef surged 51 percent to 675 million NZ dollars, and sheep meat climbed 33 percent.
The United States led New Zealand's meat export destinations at 532 million NZ dollars in May, up 233 million NZ dollars year on year, driven largely by frozen beef.
Dairy exports rose 7 percent to 2.7 billion NZ dollars, supported by a 24-percent increase in milk powder, though butter exports declined, while aluminum exports nearly doubled, aided by higher global prices, and fruit exports rose 11 percent.
Imports outpaced export growth, increasing 26 percent to 8.1 billion NZ dollars in May, statistics showed.
Fuel accounted for almost half of the increase in the value of imports in May 2026 compared with May 2025, jumping 104 percent to 1.6 billion NZ dollars, largely due to higher fuel prices, according to Stats NZ international accounts spokesperson Shanna Dilworth. ■
