India’s textile and apparel exporters have significant scope to expand their presence in New Zealand and reduce the island nation’s heavy reliance on Chinese imports, according to a new analysis by the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI).
The think tank noted that in the 2024–25 financial year, New Zealand imported goods worth more than US $ 10 billion from China, compared with just US $ 711 million from India, highlighting a wide trade imbalance. Within this, textiles and apparel emerged as one of the most under-penetrated categories for Indian exporters, despite India’s established competitiveness in garments.
According to the report, India’s global exports of women’s woven apparel stand at around US $ 3 billion annually. New Zealand, meanwhile, imports approximately US $ 179 million worth of women’s woven apparel each year. However, India supplies only US $ 9.8 million of this demand, while China accounts for US $ 112 million, underscoring the dominance of Chinese suppliers in the category.
Ajay Srivastava, founder of GTRI, said the data pointed to an untapped market rather than structural barriers to entry. He added that India’s limited share in New Zealand’s apparel imports persists despite the country’s strong manufacturing base, competitive pricing and experience as a major global garment exporter.
The report said the existence of a bilateral free trade agreement creates favourable conditions for Indian textile and apparel exporters to scale up shipments, provided targeted efforts are made to improve market access. It highlighted the need for focused export promotion, closer cooperation on standards and regulations, and stronger logistics support to help Indian apparel manufacturers compete more effectively.
GTRI said addressing these gaps could allow Indian exporters to gain a larger foothold in New Zealand’s apparel market while offering buyers an alternative sourcing base, thereby diversifying supply chains away from China.
