March increase driven by earlier harvesting of larger kiwifruit crop and continued growth in apple exports, says Stats NZ
Kiwifruit and apples drove a significant increase in the value of New Zealand’s fruit exports during March, according to statistics released by Stats NZ.
Total fruit sales to foreign markets came in at NZ$757mn for the month, up 24 per cent on the same period of 2025, and that increase contributed to an overall 7.3 per cent annual rise in the country’s March exports to NZ$7.9bn.
“Kiwifruit and apples contributed over 95 per cent of total fruit export value in March 2026,” confirmed international accounts spokesperson Viki Ward.
Kiwifruit exports were up NZ$119mn (29 per cent) to NZ$523mn, a result attributed to a larger gold kiwifruit crop and a 20 per cent increase in exports of that type.
The kiwifruit season is typically from March to November, peaking in April to June, Stats NZ observed. Gold kiwifruit generally starts in March, with green kiwifruit following in April and May.
The European Union was the leading destination for New Zealand’s kiwifruit, with the volume shipped increasing 22 per cent compared with March 2025.
Apples, meanwhile, also contributed, increasing by NZ$22mn year on year to NZ$198mn.
“Royal Gala apples made up 51 per cent of the total apple export value for March 2026,” Ward said.
New Zealand’s apple export season runs from February to October, with peak harvesting between March and July.
China was the leading destination for NZ apples in March 2026, taking NZ$70mn (35 per cent) of the country’s exports.
