WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand posted a monthly trade surplus in February as "stink bugs" on four vehicle carriers at local ports had an impact on the total value of vehicle imports, Statistics New Zealand said on Monday.
The trade surplus for February was NZ$217.00 million, while the annual deficit was NZ$3.02 billion. Exports totalled NZ$4.46 billion for the month while imports were NZ$4.24 billion, rising to a new high for a February month.
"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."
The goods will now be included in the statistics of the month when the respective shipments are unloaded.
Despite the fall in vehicle imports, total imports were up 4.6 percent from February 2017, led by mechanical and electrical machinery and equipment, and palm kernel. The rise in exports was led by increases in sheep meat and forestry products.
(Reporting by Marius Zaharia; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
