Tonnage of cargo exported by sea from the port of Lyttelton (Christchurch), New Zealand

Exports (including re-exports) are valued FOB (free on board) and are shown in New Zealand dollars. In some cases, goods are sent on consignment and the selling prices are not known until goods are disposed of at their destination. In these cases, FOB values are based on prices current at the time of export. Values given in foreign currencies are converted by Stats NZ into New Zealand dollars using weekly exchange rates when the statistics are compiled.

• all goods and material grown, produced or manufactured in New Zealand (also included as part of merchandise trade)
• articles, wholly or partially manufactured in New Zealand from imported materials, which have changed in character as a result of the production process (also included as part of merchandise trade)
• goods re-exported in the same condition in which they were imported, and which, after having undergone operations such as repacking, remain essentially unchanged (also included as part of merchandise trade)
• goods for foreign aid projects (also included as part of merchandise trade)
• goods being returned after repair or modification in New Zealand
• goods on short-term loan or lease
• goods consigned for modification or repair, and replacements
• returnable containers and samples
• short shipped goods
• aircraft spares being consigned overseas for use in New Zealand aircraft, and unserviceable parts that have been removed from foreign aircraft being returned overseas.

• large one-off exports and re-exports of transport equipment, for example aircraft, shipping vessels, oil rigs etc, that arrive in or depart from the country under their own power (included as part of merchandise trade)
• goods consigned to New Zealand forces or diplomatic representatives overseas (other than motor vehicles)
• currency transactions in gold, silver and current coin
• consignments valued under $1,000
• goods in transit or trans-shipment goods
• ships and aircraft on commercial visits
• passengers' baggage (other than duty-free exports).

From the August 1997 reference month, exports are compiled by date of export. Previously, exports were generally compiled according to date of clearance at the NZCS. This meant that some goods were allocated to the month following their actual month of export. Exports up to July 1997 that were not cleared until August 1997 were assigned to the month of August 1997.

From 1 March 2004, the NZCS does not allow goods to be loaded for export until an export entry has been lodged and cleared. A study undertaken in 2001/02 indicated that export entries not being lodged might account for between 1 and 3 percent of exports at that time. The changed NZCS processes may have reduced this undercoverage, although this has not been quantified.

At URL provided, select 'Imports and exports > Overseas Cargo Statistics > Total Exports by New Zealand Port (Annual-Jun)'. All variables were selected to create this dataset.

Overseas cargo statistics, like overseas merchandise trade statistics, are sourced from export and import entry documents lodged with the New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS). The data is processed and passed to Stats NZ for further editing and compilation. Overseas cargo statistics record the value and gross weight of all goods loaded or unloaded at New Zealand seaports and airports.