Value of imported vehicles grows

The value of imported vehicles, parts and accessories came in at $808 million in April, up $110m or 16 per cent from the same month a year ago, according to new figures from Stats NZ.

The jump helped increase the total value for all merchandise goods imports by 3.4 per cent year-on-year to $6.7 billion.

A breakdown of the figures shows vehicles, parts and accessories were among the biggest climbers for goods from China last month and increased by $65m from a year ago.

The latest data also shows the automotive category recorded an increase in value for the three months ended April 2026, rising 17 per cent from the same period a year earlier to hit $2.3b.

The tally climbed by 11 per cent to $9.3b for the year to the end of April.

As for petroleum products, they rose by 0.3 per cent year-on-year to $857m for last month alone. 

However, the category was down 11.2 per cent to $2.4b for the three months to the end of April and fell 6.4 per cent for the 12-month period, from 10.3b to $9.6b.

As for the export sector, its monthly figure climbed $943m, or 12 per cent, to reach $8.6b in April. This meant the monthly trade balance was a surplus of $1.9b.

For the year to the end of April, goods imports were valued at $84.4b after a $4.1b increase from the previous year. Exports were up $6.4b to $81.7b to leave an annual trade deficit of $2.8b.