Current account deficit $4.6 billion for the March 2026 quarter – news story
17 June 2026
New Zealand’s seasonally adjusted current account balance widened by $100 million to a deficit of $4.6 billion in the March 2026 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.
“The current account balance records the value of New Zealand’s transactions with the rest of the world in goods, services, and income,” general manager and macroeconomic spokesperson Jason Attewell said.
“New Zealand has a current account deficit when we spend more than we earn from our transactions with the rest of the world.”
The goods deficit widened by $323 million in the March 2026 quarter. This was the main contributor to the widening current account deficit.
The services balance was a surplus of $33 million in the March 2026 quarter. The primary income deficit narrowed by $219 million in the same period.
