Total exports were valued at $7.9 billion, a rise of $542 million (7.3 percent) in March 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.
Leading the rise in total exports were precious metals, jewellery, and coins, up $166 million (166 percent) to $266 million, followed by fruit, up $149 million (24 percent) to $757 million.
| Month | Value |
| Mar-21 | 5471532739 |
| Apr-21 | 5543577788 |
| May-21 | 5794562593 |
| Jun-21 | 6155360736 |
| Jul-21 | 5777687406 |
| Aug-21 | 4363580104 |
| Sept-21 | 4396198190 |
| Oct-21 | 5379540653 |
| Nov-21 | 5672334952 |
| Dec-21 | 6076827616 |
| Jan-22 | 4801909858 |
| Feb-22 | 5190196779 |
| Mar-22 | 6468309689 |
| Apr-22 | 6162024235 |
| May-22 | 6805654331 |
| Jun-22 | 6226187883 |
| Jul-22 | 6338147082 |
| Aug-22 | 5282431055 |
| Sept-22 | 5910355840 |
| Oct-22 | 5952492994 |
| Nov-22 | 6329692557 |
| Dec-22 | 6503209518 |
| Jan-23 | 5308106709 |
| Feb-23 | 5066418005 |
| Mar-23 | 6256910049 |
| Apr-23 | 6589877029 |
| May-23 | 6953729010 |
| Jun-23 | 6180641583 |
| Jul-23 | 5377648638 |
| Aug-23 | 4973797060 |
| Sept-23 | 4765886803 |
| Oct-23 | 5366420604 |
| Nov-23 | 5937975293 |
| Dec-23 | 5843551350 |
| Jan-24 | 4823609589 |
| Feb-24 | 5784622173 |
| Mar-24 | 6371410561 |
| Apr-24 | 6293856547 |
| May-24 | 6999971477 |
| Jun-24 | 6029222677 |
| Jul-24 | 6079471227 |
| Aug-24 | 4834799634 |
| Sept-24 | 4895409646 |
| Oct-24 | 5618125219 |
| Nov-24 | 6402606137 |
| Dec-24 | 6664086941 |
| Jan-25 | 6054649883 |
| Feb-25 | 6606364542 |
| Mar-25 | 7402382996 |
| Apr-25 | 7676838287 |
| May-25 | 7517189701 |
| Jun-25 | 6485295665 |
| Jul-25 | 6510224277 |
| Aug-25 | 5767501184 |
| Sept-25 | 5759901753 |
| Oct-25 | 6443203991 |
| Nov-25 | 6791106038 |
| Dec-25 | 7504833896 |
| Jan-26 | 6103888923 |
| Feb-26 | 6517605629 |
| Mar-26 | 7943894499 |
"Fruit is our third largest export commodity behind dairy and meat," international accounts spokesperson Viki Ward said.
| Month | Value |
| Mar-21 | 289832875 |
| Apr-21 | 625614401 |
| May-21 | 619260239 |
| Jun-21 | 626731011 |
| Jul-21 | 471412775 |
| Aug-21 | 458750570 |
| Sept-21 | 328297285 |
| Oct-21 | 228702689 |
| Nov-21 | 74109629 |
| Dec-21 | 27066150 |
| Jan-22 | 83816621 |
| Feb-22 | 45218622 |
| Mar-22 | 238282463 |
| Apr-22 | 683859065 |
| May-22 | 753354058 |
| Jun-22 | 627475099 |
| Jul-22 | 441072162 |
| Aug-22 | 382098754 |
| Sept-22 | 278512916 |
| Oct-22 | 156586495 |
| Nov-22 | 75989281 |
| Dec-22 | 29274448 |
| Jan-23 | 78621048 |
| Feb-23 | 41353956 |
| Mar-23 | 229552961 |
| Apr-23 | 639444013 |
| May-23 | 821068057 |
| Jun-23 | 515157793 |
| Jul-23 | 474239398 |
| Aug-23 | 386565311 |
| Sept-23 | 221081522 |
| Oct-23 | 45384206 |
| Nov-23 | 19946342 |
| Dec-23 | 30148269 |
| Jan-24 | 83467857 |
| Feb-24 | 49615200 |
| Mar-24 | 365687058 |
| Apr-24 | 928518936 |
| May-24 | 818105255 |
| Jun-24 | 592114532 |
| Jul-24 | 608837397 |
| Aug-24 | 575052085 |
| Sept-24 | 450696309 |
| Oct-24 | 180467234 |
| Nov-24 | 51764923 |
| Dec-24 | 49775608 |
| Jan-25 | 114332439 |
| Feb-25 | 109074386 |
| Mar-25 | 608064380 |
| Apr-25 | 1245837418 |
| May-25 | 1008676783 |
| Jun-25 | 708963928 |
| Jul-25 | 605398665 |
| Aug-25 | 814335647 |
| Sept-25 | 478146258 |
| Oct-25 | 262202516 |
| Nov-25 | 64944148 |
| Dec-25 | 39385223 |
| Jan-26 | 69323677 |
| Feb-26 | 98722194 |
| Mar-26 | 756825837 |
Leading the rise in fruit exports were kiwifruit and apples.
"Kiwifruit and apples contributed over 95 percent of total fruit export value in March 2026," Ward said.
Kiwifruit exports were up $119 million (29 percent), to $523 million in March 2026, due to gold kiwifruit. The quantity of gold kiwifruit exported increased by 20 percent.
The kiwifruit season is typically from March to November, peaking in April to June. Gold kiwifruit generally starts in March, with green kiwifruit following in April and May.
The European Union was the leading destination for kiwifruit, with quantity increasing 22 percent in the March 2026 month compared with March 2025.
| Country | Value |
| EU | 151113509 |
| "China | 144134104 |
| People's Republic of" | 64422423 |
| United States of America | 63027573 |
| Japan | 30175812 |
| South Korea | 17861787 |
| Taiwan | 17115801 |
| Australia | 9552383 |
| Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region) | 6058749 |
| Canada | 5934823 |
| Singapore | 14041469 |
| Other |
Apples also contributed to the rise in fruit exports in March 2026, increasing $22 million to $198 million, when compared with March 2025.
"Royal gala apples made up 51 percent of the total apple export value for March 2026," Ward said.
New Zealand's apple export season runs from February to October, with harvesting peaking between March and July.
| Type | Value |
| Royal gala | 100417594 |
| Dazzle | 28993634 |
| Rockit | 15790029 |
| Pacific Queen | 10200828 |
| Fuji | 4047334 |
| Other | 38624113 |
China was the leading destination for apples in March 2026, taking $70 million (35 percent) of our exports.
