In the year ended December 2010 Japan was New Zealand's fourth largest trading partner following Australia, China, and the United States; New Zealand's exports to Japan were valued at about $3.4 billion and imports from Japan were worth about $3.1 billion, which consists 7.8% of total exports and 7.3% of total imports.
Bilateral relationships in merchandise trade are built on the complementary needs of both countries. New Zealand exports mainly primary products such as aluminium, fruit, cheese, meat, logs and imports mainly finished products. Motor vehicles (incl. trucks and vans) account for nearly half of total imports from Japan.
| Exports by Destination (fob, including re-exports) ($NZ million) |
| |
Year ended December |
| 2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
| Australia |
7,076 |
8,023 |
9,995 |
9,132 |
10,025 |
| China, People's Republic of |
1,875 |
1,953 |
2,534 |
3,628 |
4,826 |
| United States of America |
4,540 |
4,211 |
4,382 |
3,953 |
3,759 |
| Japan |
3,556 |
3,364 |
3,613 |
2,821 |
3,375 |
| United Kingdom |
1,694 |
1,640 |
1,672 |
1,696 |
1,528 |
| |
| Total |
34,634 |
36,557 |
42,900 |
39,672 |
43,532 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Imports by Country of Origin (cif) ($NZ million) |
| |
Year ended December |
| |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
| Australia |
8,285 |
8,622 |
8,738 |
7,397 |
7,697 |
| China, People's Republic of |
4,964 |
5,587 |
6,444 |
6,066 |
6,762 |
| United States of America |
4,742 |
4,078 |
4,600 |
4,328 |
4,393 |
| Japan |
3,709 |
3,945 |
3,956 |
2,981 |
3,107 |
| Korea, Republic of |
1,191 |
1,189 |
1,318 |
1,357 |
1,387 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
| Total |
40,716 |
41,869 |
48,514 |
40,221 |
42,360 |
| Exports to Japan (year 2010) |
| |
% |
| Aluminium |
19.0 |
| Fresh fruit |
8.8 |
| Cheese |
8.8 |
| Casein |
3.8 |
| Frozen beef |
3.8 |
| Fibreboard |
2.8 |
| Logs |
2.8 |
| Wood pulp |
2.7 |
| Others |
47.5 |
|
|

| Imports from Japan (year 2010) |
| |
% |
| Motor vehicles |
41.5 |
| Petroleum oils |
9.1 |
| Trucks and vans |
4.6 |
| Printing machinery |
3.4 |
| Bulldozers, graders |
3.1 |
| Others |
38.3 |
|
|

Source: Statistics New Zealand
|