Imports of electrical and mechanical machinery and equipment were valued at $19.9 billion in the year ended January 2026, accounting for almost one-quarter of total imports, according to new figures from Stats NZ.

“Long term, we have seen the total value of electrical and mechanical machinery and equipment imports increase, with imports from China having an annual increase of $837 million for the year ended January 2026,” international accounts spokesperson Viki Ward said.

Electrical machinery covers products such as phones, transformers and insulation materials; mechanical machinery includes items like jet engines, turbines and computers.

Phones remain a sizeable line item at $1.2 billion in the year ended January 2026, up from $371 million in 2011. China continues to dominate phone supply, and Viet Nam has become a significant secondary source: phone imports from Viet Nam rose from $8.7 million in 2011 to $272 million in 2026. Imports from countries such as South Korea, Taiwan and the EU have fallen in value over the longer term, according to Stats NZ’s data.

Computers and parts (including tablets) were valued at $1.9 billion in the year ended January 2026, up from $1.1 billion in 2011. China supplied 66 percent of those imports by value, followed by Malaysia (7.0 percent), the United States (6.7 percent), Singapore (5.0 percent) and Viet Nam (4.5 percent). Over time, Australia, Japan and Thailand have seen declines in the value of their computer-related exports to New Zealand.

The latest figures point to a continued concentration of electronics sourcing in China, with growing contributions from Southeast Asia, particularly Viet Nam, across both phones and computing hardware. Stats NZ published the update as part of its Insight series.