New Zealand imports rise despite fall in cars: statistics

WELLINGTON, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Imports rose in February 2018 to a new high for a February month, New Zealand's statistics department Stats NZ said on Monday.

This rise was driven by machinery imports, despite a fall in the value of car imports, it said.

"The delay in final unloading of four vehicle carriers at New Zealand ports had an impact on the total value of vehicle imports in February," international statistics manager Tehseen Islam said.

"The discovery of stink bugs on these vessels meant that around 8,000 cars could not enter New Zealand as scheduled," Islam said, adding the goods on these vehicle carriers would normally have been included in February's import statistics, but will now be included in the statistics of the month when the respective shipments are unloaded.

Imports of passenger motor cars fell 33 percent from February 2017 to 257 million NZ dollars (187 million U.S. dollars), the lowest monthly value since March 2013, Stats NZ said.

Despite the fall in vehicle imports, total imports were up 4.6 percent from February 2017 to reach 4.2 billion NZ dollars, a new high for a February month, although the rise in percentage terms was lower than in recent months, it said.

The rise in total imports was led by mechanical and electrical machinery and equipment (such as harvesting machinery and mobile phones), and palm kernel, statistics show.

Exports rose 11 percent to 4.5 billion NZ dollars, led by increases in sheep meat and forestry products, Stats NZ said. (1 NZ dollar = 0.73 U.S. dollar) Enditem