New zealand Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in new zealand, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Market Overview
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Market Overview

New Zealand offers U.S. companies access to a wealthy, sophisticated market characterized by a transparent, open business environment and a stable democratic system. Known for its high rankings in business integrity and honesty, New Zealand’s small market size of around 5 million people is often offset by these strengths.  

After a strong post-pandemic recovery, New Zealand’s economy has slowed, with high interest rates driving up the cost of living. Between May and August 2024, about 6,000 public sector employees—primarily in Wellington—were laid off as the newly elected government implemented spending cuts. The unemployment rate for the quarter ending December 2024 was 5.1%.  Inflation was 2.2% for the year ending December 2024. Climate change is a strategic priority for both public and private sectors due to its perceived impact on the economy and society.

Exports of goods and services significantly contribute to New Zealand’s GDP.  New Zealand’s economy is driven by agricultural exports, including dairy (the largest export at 28% of the total), meat, forest products, fruit, vegetables, and wine.  The United States is New Zealand’s second largest export market and third largest import supplier after China and Australia.  Fluctuations in the NZ/US exchange rate (averaging 1 NZ$ = 0.6054 USD$ in 2024) impact returns.  In 2024, exports to the United States totaled US$4.5 billion, up 2% from the previous year, and two-way trade in goods hit a record high of US$10.1 billion. 
The United States is New Zealand’s third-largest trading partner after China and Australia, with which New Zealand has Free Trade Agreements (FTAs).  (New Zealand does not have an FTA with the United States.)  The U.S. exported US$5.6 billion in goods to New Zealand in 2024, primarily agricultural machinery, information and communications technology (ICT), and healthcare products.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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