New Zealand posted a trade deficit of $159 million last month as the value of exports fell and imports climbed.
Exports fell 6.9% in the latest month, led by whole milk powder, while imports climbed 7.6 percent.
Despite the monthly fall, exports rose nearly 1 percent in the December quarter, led by a 15 percent rise in the value of meat exports.
The trade deficit for the December quarter, adjusted for seasonal variations, was $904 million dollars.
The trade deficit in November was a smaller-than-expected $213 million, largely because of falling dairy prices.
An economist is forecasting dairy exports, particularly to China, will fall further before they begin to stabilise and would drag down the trade balance in the next few months.
New Zealand has recorded its largest October trade deficit of $908 million in six years due to a drop of nearly $500,000 in milk powder exports to China and a spike in imports.
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