Customer service is an important element in a sale. The quality of the service will sometime depend on the delivery lead time of spare parts. There are actually many similarities between European countries and New Zealand when it comes to lifestyles and purchasing behavior. Educated and earning good incomes, they like to shop and they spend more time reading than watching television. They also are concerned with healthy lifestyles and make healthy food purchase choices. New Zealanders want convenience products. They also demand healthy and wholesome food products. They are concerned about time management and nutrition.
Consumer Profile and Purchasing Power
New Zealand consumers are relatively wealthy, not particularly sophisticated but diverse in their interests and tastes. They value home comfort and are interested in innovative and fashion products from Europe and the US. Do It Yourself and outdoor products are also area of growth for exporters.
The rapid growth of Internet users in New Zealand provides a developing prospect for E-marketers. New Zealanders are literate, educated, technology savy citizens, who are willing to spend time and money over the Internet.
Supermarkets market share of sales is 45%, with Progressive enterprise and Foodstuffs forming a duopoly with several hundreds of outlets. Sales made by supermarkets have shown a stable growth over the last few years but the number of convenience stores is increasing, with a constantly growing volume of sales. New Zealand customers have a preference for shopping malls, but independent and specialized store have been able to adapt and are successfully targeting high revenue customers. Three chains of Department stores are sharing the market: Smith and Caughey’s in Auckland, Kirkcaldie and Stains in Wellington and Ballantynes in Christchurch.
Import licenses are no longer required to import goods into New Zealand. The country does not impose any import restrictions or barriers to imports for purely trade-related reasons. Although, there are strict health, content, safety and origin-labeling rules, and stringent restrictions relating to live animal and plant health requirements.
Some goods are prohibited from importation. For more information you can log on the customs website.
Customs Duties and Taxes on Imports
New Zealand applies Customs duties of 5% on average. The customs duties ad valorem duties, calculated on the FOB value or on specific duties. These are not excessively high and they give an average level of 15%. Higher duties, however, are levied on textile, clothing, shoes, motor cars and pneumatics imports. No duty is imposed on imported products having no local equivalent in New Zealand. Some imports are cheap and are subject to a special duty for the protection of the local production. New Zealand applies preferential tariffs to imports coming from Australia (zero tariff), Canada, UK, and certain other developing countries. For more details you can log on the customs website.
Customs Classification
New Zealand has fully adopted the harmonized system of customs classification.
Import Procedures
Customs Entry Form or Informal Clearance Document (ICD) filled in documents relative to goods transport (transport contracts: Air waybillor Bill of lading) ; all invoices or documents relative to import and which must include in particular a complete description of the goods,the currency of reference, the contact details of the seller and the buyer, the name of the vessel or the flight number of the plane used, etc. Import procedures are described on the Customs website and on the New Zealand Customs Service. Commencing July 2008 generic import clearance procedures are detailed on the Website of the Food Safety Authority.
Importing Samples
Goods that are used as and which qualify as samples are eligible for duty-free entry.
Traditionally, New Zealand's economy was built upon on a narrow range of primary products, such as wool, meat and dairy products. The economy has traditionally been based on a foundation of exports from its very efficient agricultural system. Leading agricultural exports include meat, dairy products, forest products, fruit and vegetables, fish, and wool. Agriculture in general and the dairy sector in particular have enjoyed many new trade opportunities in the past 20 years. The country has substantial hydroelectric power and sizable reserves of natural gas. Leading manufacturing sectors are food processing, metal fabrication, and wood and paper products. Some manufacturing industries, many of which had only been established in a climate of import substitution with high tariffs and subsidies, such as car assembly, have completely disappeared, and manufacturing's importance in the economy is in a general decline.
Business Directories
Multi-sector Directories
New Zealand Yellow Pages - Find a business in New Zealand. Finda - New Zealand's business directory, listings and reviews. Industry Search - Australia & New-Zealand database. NZPages - Website directory of New Zealand. NZS.com Directory - Directory of New Zealand. Search and browse by keywords or categories. NZSB - New Zealand's small business directory. ODT Directory. - Directory provided by the Otago Daily Times. UBD - Search online businesses in New Zealand. Zipleaf - Business directory for several countries in the world.
Manufacturers Associations of the Main Industries
25 professional associations listed for New-Zealand.
New-Zealand: Selling and Buying
