China–New Zealand Trade Pulse
Imports into New Zealand from China were US$2.89bn in Q2 2026, up 19.6% on the same quarter of 2025. A quarterly read of New Zealand's official trade statistics for imports from China, as reported to the UN Comtrade database, in US dollars, published by Cambridge China Bridge. It updates when UN Comtrade publishes a new quarter.
Q2 2026, compared with Q2 2025
- Imports from China
- US$2.89bn
- Change on a year earlier
- +19.6%
- Product chapters traded
- 95
Data brief: Q2 2026
Imports into New Zealand from China were US$2.89bn in Q2 2026, up 19.6% (US$473m) on Q2 2025.
Top 3 rising headings
- Fertilizers (HS 3102): US$30m, up 212.1% from US$10m
- Semiconductor devices (e.g. diodes, transistors, semiconductor based… (HS 8541): US$56m, up 129.9% from US$24m
- Motor cars and other motor vehicles (HS 8703): US$249m, up 90.9% from US$130m
Top 3 falling headings
- Video game consoles and machines, articles for funfair, table or… (HS 9504): US$9m, down 48.2% from US$18m
- Products containing tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, nicotine, or… (HS 2404): US$13m, down 42.0% from US$22m
- Machinery (HS 8473): US$9m, down 26.6% from US$12m
Headings (HS4) worth at least US$7m in both quarters.
Among these six headings, value per kg runs from US$0.30 for Fertilizers to US$188.00 for Products containing tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, nicotine, or… Why US$ per kg matters →
Cite as: Cambridge China Bridge, "China–New Zealand Trade Pulse", Q2 2026, https://camchinabridge.co.uk/china-trade-pulse/new-zealand/briefs/2026-q2/. Source: UN Comtrade Database; quarterly totals, changes and value per kg calculated by Cambridge China Bridge. Open data:https://github.com/bonoxu/camchinabridge-open-data
What stands out
- Imports into New Zealand from China were US$2.89bn in Q2 2026, up 19.6% on the same quarter of 2025.
- That is the highest Q2 total since the series starts in 2019.
- Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof was the largest chapter at US$606m.
- The fastest-rising large heading was Fertilizers, up 212.1% to US$30m.
- The steepest fall was Video game consoles and machines, articles for funfair, table or…, down 48.2% to US$9m.
- Among the largest chapters, value per kg runs from US$2.87 for Paper and paperboard to US$37.28 for Apparel and clothing accessories.
How to read this
- Figures are imports from China as recorded by the importing country's customs: for the United States as published by the US Census Bureau, for the other countries as reported to the UN Comtrade database. All values are in US dollars.
- China means mainland China. Goods shipped from Hong Kong, Macau or a third country, or assembled there, count under those places, so the figures show direct trade, not every product made in China.
- Each quarter is the sum of three published months and is compared with the same quarter a year earlier, so seasonal patterns (Chinese New Year, the run-up to Christmas) do not show as rises or falls.
- A heading only counts as a mover when it was large in both quarters; the threshold is stated under each table.
- Value per kg is value divided by weight. It is shown only where weighed shipments carry at least 90% of a line's value, ranks products, and is not a freight rate.
Every quarter since 2019
Across 2025 as a whole, imports into New Zealand from China were US$10.61bn, up 5.9% on 2024 and up 25.5% on 2019.
| Year | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Full year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | US$1.95bn | US$1.94bn | US$2.19bn | US$2.37bn | US$8.45bn |
| 2020 | US$1.64bn | US$1.94bn | US$2.19bn | US$2.59bn | US$8.36bn |
| 2021 | US$2.58bn | US$2.49bn | US$3.14bn | US$3.55bn | US$11.75bn |
| 2022 | US$3.18bn | US$2.59bn | US$3.36bn | US$3.32bn | US$12.46bn |
| 2023 | US$2.61bn | US$2.32bn | US$2.68bn | US$2.77bn | US$10.38bn |
| 2024 | US$2.33bn | US$2.33bn | US$2.66bn | US$2.70bn | US$10.02bn |
| 2025 | US$2.27bn | US$2.42bn | US$2.82bn | US$3.10bn | US$10.61bn |
| 2026 | US$2.81bn | US$2.89bn | – | – | – |
Quarterly totals on the same basis as the headline figure. A full-year total appears once all four quarters are published.
The largest product chapters
| Code | Product | Value | Change | US$ per kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 85 | Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof | US$606m | +31.8% | – |
| 84 | Machinery and mechanical appliances, boilers, nuclear reactors | US$448m | +7.0% | – |
| 87 | Vehicles | US$331m | +59.8% | – |
| 39 | Plastics and articles thereof | US$153m | +25.8% | US$3.48 |
| 94 | Furniture | US$145m | +10.5% | US$6.09 |
| 73 | Iron or steel articles | US$94m | +11.8% | – |
| 61 | Apparel and clothing accessories | US$90m | +4.1% | US$30.52 |
| 90 | Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, medical… | US$72m | +6.9% | – |
| 62 | Apparel and clothing accessories | US$65m | −3.8% | US$37.28 |
| 95 | Toys, games and sports requisites | US$61m | −15.7% | US$14.48 |
| 48 | Paper and paperboard | US$60m | +13.2% | US$2.87 |
| 76 | Aluminium and articles thereof | US$59m | +24.6% | US$5.01 |
Fastest-rising headings
| Code | Product | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3102 | Fertilizers | US$30m | +212.1% |
| 8541 | Semiconductor devices (e.g. diodes, transistors, semiconductor based… | US$56m | +129.9% |
| 8703 | Motor cars and other motor vehicles | US$249m | +90.9% |
| 8507 | Electric accumulators, including separators therefor | US$29m | +80.4% |
| 8429 | Bulldozers, graders, levellers, scrapers, angledozers, mechanical… | US$16m | +80.2% |
| 8504 | Electric transformers, static converters (e.g. rectifiers) and… | US$38m | +76.1% |
| 3808 | Insecticides, rodenticides, fungicides, herbicides, anti-sprouting… | US$16m | +71.2% |
| 8544 | Insulated wire, cable and other electric conductors, connector fitted… | US$59m | +47.2% |
Steepest falls
| Code | Product | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9504 | Video game consoles and machines, articles for funfair, table or… | US$9m | −48.2% |
| 2404 | Products containing tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, nicotine, or… | US$13m | −42.0% |
| 8473 | Machinery | US$9m | −26.6% |
| 8702 | Vehicles | US$24m | −23.5% |
| 9004 | Spectacles, goggles and the like | US$9m | −10.5% |
| 4412 | Plywood, veneered panels and similar laminated wood | US$8m | −8.1% |
| 6203 | Suits, ensembles, jackets, blazers, trousers, bib and brace overalls,… | US$10m | −7.1% |
| 9021 | Orthopaedic appliances | US$8m | −7.1% |
Headings (HS4) worth at least US$7m in both quarters.
Why US$ per kg matters
Freight is charged on space, so low-value, bulky goods are hard to bring in by part-container load without the landed cost rising sharply, while high-value, dense goods absorb freight easily. Value per kilogram is a quick way to see which of the goods New Zealand imports from China suit small trial orders and which reward full containers. A dash means the source gives too little weight data for that line.
Other countries
- United States US$63.27bn, +3.7%
- Canada US$16.12bn, −7.3%
- Australia US$23.12bn, +17.5%
- India US$42.31bn, +20.0%
- Japan US$41.96bn, −4.1%
Method and sources
- Source: United Nations, UN Comtrade Database, monthly commodity trade (HS): reporter New Zealand, partner China, imports, through the UN Comtrade API. Totals across all customs procedures and transport modes.
- Values are UN Comtrade's primary value for imports, in US dollars as UN Comtrade publishes them (converted from the reporter's own currency by the United Nations). Quarterly totals, changes on a year earlier, rankings and value per kg are calculated by Cambridge China Bridge from the monthly figures. Chapters 98 and 99, reserved for national use, are excluded.
- Value per kg divides value by net weight, summed from the six-digit subheadings that carry a weight. It is shown only where those subheadings carry at least 90% of the line's value; some countries report few weights, so their pages show more dashes.
- Countries report to UN Comtrade some weeks or months after each month ends and may revise their figures; the page is rebuilt monthly and always shows the latest figures published.
Source: United Nations, UN Comtrade Database (cited as "UN Comtrade"). The figures on this page are quarterly totals, changes and rankings calculated from UN Comtrade's monthly data by Cambridge China Bridge; they are not endorsed by the United Nations. Journalists and researchers may quote them with a link to this page.
Download the New Zealand figures (CSV)· Download the open dataset (GitHub)
Cite as: Cambridge China Bridge, "China–New Zealand Trade Pulse", Q2 2026, https://camchinabridge.co.uk/china-trade-pulse/new-zealand/. Source: UN Comtrade Database; quarterly totals, changes and value per kg calculated by Cambridge China Bridge.
See also
Buying from China for a business in New Zealand?
These pages report trade figures only; they do not describe any country's import rules. For a product you want to source from China, tell us what you buy and we will reply with how we would approach it.
Monthly email
What changed for UK buyers from China, and when to act
One email at the start of each month. Every figure has an official source.
- Next month's HMRC customs exchange rates: USD, EUR, CNY
- Duty, anti-dumping and UK rule changes, with the date they apply
- Chinese New Year order deadlines, before they pass
Discuss your sourcing project
Tell us the product, quantity and destination. Our own staff in China verify factories, follow production and inspect before shipment. We reply the same working day to confirm receipt and arrange next steps.
Discuss your sourcing project- WhatsAppBuying for a business? WhatsApp works too: send your company name, product, quantity and timing, and we will reply with the next steps.
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