US$64.6b exports
Goods and services combined, in current US dollars. The comparable imports value was US$67.9b. Nominal values reflect exchange rates and prices as well as quantities.
Economy · facts, policy and choices
New Zealand’s economy:
facts and choices.
Explore measured economic indicators and questions for assessing policy choices. Output, work, trade, prices and public finances are connected, but no single statistic tells the whole story or proves what caused a change.
How to read this page: Observed facts are dated and linked to statistical sources. Forecasts and policy estimates are not measured outcomes; check their assumptions, definitions and primary sources before drawing conclusions.
Economy in a line: 2024 exports were US$64.6b and imports US$67.9b; unemployment was 5.6% in the June 2026 quarter. These measures describe different aspects of the economy and are not forecasts.
Start with dated facts
These indicators refer to different periods and answer different questions. Trade values are nominal current US dollars; unemployment is a seasonally adjusted share of the labour force.
5.6% unemployment
Stats NZ’s seasonally adjusted rate for the June 2026 quarter. It measures unemployed people actively seeking and available for work as a share of the labour force—not all people without a job.
Sources: World Bank, exports of goods and services and imports of goods and services, 2024; Stats NZ, unemployment rate, June 2026 quarter, updated 5 August 2026.
How to compare economic policies
Policy announcements and economic forecasts are not outcomes. A fair comparison uses the same time period, definitions and assumptions for every proposal, and separates published commitments from independent estimates.
Forecasts: This page does not reproduce party or coalition projections where the underlying calculations and primary-source references have not been independently verified. Check published policies and official fiscal updates before relying on projected effects.
Check the measure and assumptions
Distinguish real from nominal GDP, identify the period covered, and examine assumptions about productivity, investment, migration and global demand.
Look beyond the headline average
Assess effects on prices, wages, taxes, transfers and essential costs across household types, while separating forecast inflation from the Reserve Bank’s independent decisions.
Track outcomes over time
Use consistent labour-market and export measures, note changes in population and prices, and avoid attributing a change to one policy without supporting evaluation.
Follow costs, funding and delivery
Compare operating and capital costs, funding sources, debt definitions, delivery milestones, ongoing maintenance and who receives benefits or bears costs.
Assess public spending consistently
Any government spending or revenue proposal can be assessed consistently by checking its published cost, funding source, timing, delivery assumptions and distributional effects. Forecasts are estimates, not guaranteed results.
Separate recurring costs from one-offs
Ongoing services, transfers and subsidies can create recurring costs. Check what allowance applies, when it is spent, and whether the stated amount covers all commitments.
Test projects against delivery and lifecycle costs
Housing, transport and energy investments require capital approvals, operating support and future maintenance. Compare appropriations and delivery milestones—not only announced totals.
Track the balance and the debt measure
OBEGAL is not the same as cash balance or net debt. Check each forecast’s definition, price assumptions, interest costs, contingencies and sensitivity to slower growth.
Publish distributional effects
Show which income groups, regions, industries and generations receive support or pay more, and include the effect of reduced services and user charges.
Economy evidence and related policy areas
The supplied economy illustrations are prompts for investigation, not verified datasets. Follow each with an official series and its definition.
GDP and economic trendsSupplied illustration · figures unverified
Welfare and social spendingSupplied illustration · figures unverified
Government income and expensesSupplied illustration · figures unverified
Verify economic growth and prices using Stats NZ economic statistics; fiscal forecasts using Treasury Economic and Fiscal Updates; and the policy rate using the Reserve Bank OCR series.