Export Market Guide - New Zealand

All regulatory information for exporting wine to New Zealand, including the regulatory environment, duties and taxes, and permitted additives.

Unless an exemption has been granted by Wine Australia, grape products exported from Australia must comply with the Food Standards Code. Accordingly, the labelling and wine standards information in Wine Australia’s Export Market Guides should be read in conjunction with Wine Australia’s Licensing and Compliance Guide which contains the requirements of the Food Standards Code and applicable exemptions.

New Zealand comprises two main islands, the North Island and the South Island. The total land area is approximately 268,000 square kilometres with a temperate climate displaying sharp regional contrasts. New Zealand is predominantly mountainous and has an international reputation as an outstanding producer of white wines, most particularly through the success of its Sauvignon Blanc. While it is best known for production of this variety, New Zealand also produces Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Merlot and Pinot Noir in sizeable quantities. Marlborough is the best-known wine growing region in the country.

Australia and New Zealand have a strong and co-operative relationship stemming from the close geographic proximity and historical ties. Australia and New Zealand are parties to the Australia New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement, which came into effect on 1 January 1983, creating one of the world’s most open and successful free trade agreements. Stemming from this agreement as well as the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement, any good that may be legally sold in Australia may be legally sold in New Zealand, and vice-versa. Further to this, Australia and New Zealand share the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code which came into effect on 20 December 2002, aligning our food and labelling laws. The exceptions to this are Maximum Residual Levels and food safety standards, which are administered in New Zealand under their own laws, and in Australia by Australia’s wine production requirements.

Over the past decade, Australian wine exports to New Zealand have been relatively stable in volume, while value has increased by 3 per cent on average per year during that time. Thanks to the stability in volume, New Zealand has moved from Australia’s fifth largest destination by volume to fourth since 2022. The fact that value has risen while volume has been stable has been driven by two trends – the first being the decline in unpackaged (bulk) wine shipments and the increase in packaged shipments. Over the past ten years the volume share of bulk and packaged shipments have effectively swapped, with bulk wine having a 57 per cent share of volume of 2013 and dropping to 42 per cent in 2023.

In 2023, 51 per cent of Australian wine shipped to New Zealand was red, while 43 per cent was white. These shares are smaller than ten years ago as both colours have lost share to rosé wine. The volume of rosé exported to New Zealand has grown by an average of 12 per cent per annum in the past decade, increasing its share of exports from 2 to 6 per cent. The increase is consistent with consumer trends reported by IWSR – where the proportion of regular wine drinkers in New Zealand drinking rosé grew from 39 per cent in 2017 to 45 per cent in 2023.

In the 12 months to December 2023, Australian wine exports to New Zealand grew by 5 per cent in value to AU$ 101 million and declined by 2 per cent in volume to 29 million litres. Red and sparkling/carbonated wine drove the increase in value. For red wine, the growth came from exports valued above AU$ 2.50 per litre, with particularly good growth for Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir across several price segments. Sparkling/carbonated wine grew by 30 per cent in value, with price segments below AU$ 10 per litre driving the growth. Prosecco, Moscato, and Chardonnay were the key growth varieties in this category – the Moscato growth in particular aligning with IWSR’s analysis that a larger proportion of regular wine drinkers in New Zealand are looking for sweeter and lighter-alcohol wines than previous years.