New Zealand's terms of trade climbed 5.1 percent on quarter in the first three months of 2017, Statistics New Zealand said on Thursday - marking the highest reading since 1973.
The headline figure beat forecasts for an increase of 3.9 percent following the 5.7 percent gain in the three months prior.
Terms of trade is a measure of the purchasing power of New Zealand's exports abroad.
"The current high in the terms of trade is a result of a strong upwards trend in the terms of trade since 2000," business prices manager Sarah Williams said.
Export prices for goods rose 8.0 percent, while import prices for goods rose 2.7 percent.
Export volumes fell a seasonally adjusted 4.2 percent, while import volumes rose 1.2 percent.
Export dairy prices rose 18 percent, following a 14 percent rise in the December 2016 quarter. Despite these two large increases, dairy prices remain 21 percent lower than the recent high in the March 2014 quarter.
Export values added 3.4 percent to NZ$11.8 billion, while import values jumped 6.2 percent to NZ$13.2 billion.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Economic News
What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.