Browse Data and Analysis

Despite being a small country, New Zealand is a major exporter of food and beverage products, and many of these products are manufactured in-country requiring inputs imported from other suppliers. The United States is a key source of ingredients including pork, lactose, tree nuts, hops and other products. The United States also supplies ingredients for animal feed.

After two straight years of reaching record levels, New Zealand beef production and exports are expected to fall slightly in 2022. This decline is a result of expected reduced steer and heifer slaughter, as calf retentions in 2019 boosted last year’s slaughter number. As the size of New Zealand’s cattle herd is relatively steady, slaughter numbers are expected to return to more typical levels this year.

New Zealand is an important market in the Pacific for U.S. agricultural products. In 2020, despite logistical and other challenges as a result of COVID-19, New Zealand’s imports continued strong and included US$ 575 million of U.S. agricultural products.

There have been no recent significant official changes to the genetically engineered (GE) policies established by the New Zealand government.

The same problems that beset apple production in 2020/2021, especially harvest labor shortages, could persist into 2021/2022.

Following an exceptional milk production year in 2021 (and especially the first half of the year), FAS/Wellington is forecasting milk production to fall slightly in 2022.

Although New Zealand has been less impacted by COVID-19 than most countries around the world, it has still had a major effect on the Hotel, Restaurant, Institutional (HRI) sector.

New Zealand beef production is forecast to fall slightly in 2022, following two straight years of record production.

This report lists the major export certificates and other documentation required by the Government of New Zealand for U.S. exporters and food and agricultural products.

New Zealand has strict biosecurity rules for plant and animal products but also imports large volumes of food and beverage products.

U.S. food and agricultural products have continued to prove popular in the New Zealand market, and in 2020 the value of these products was US$ 575 million, US$ 407 million of which were consumer-oriented products.

The New Zealand Government is proposing to introduce a sustainably-produced biofuels mandate for transport fuels in New Zealand.