Detailed import and export data is now free
Accessing detailed import and export data is easier than ever before, thanks to Statistics New Zealand’s
release of the second stage of Infoshare. The online tool adds information on imported and exported goods
to the vast array of free information already available on the web.
The addition of this import and export data makes Infoshare a valuable tool for exporters to gather
information from an independent source.
“An exporter, for example, could use the data to monitor trends, market conditions and their own position
within particular markets," says Kathy Connolly, Manager Business Indicators.
The Infoshare database contains a broad range of time-series data. This information can tell you how and
where New Zealanders live, about our work, income, spending and recreation, and what we produce for
export.
Examples of how businesses and other organisations could use Infoshare include:
• Businesses that provide products and services to the building industry can monitor the number of
building consents issued in particular areas, so they can anticipate demand for their products.
• Tourism organisations can look at tourist numbers over time, to plan their services more effectively
for seasonal fluctuations or to assess market share.
• Lawyers can use price index figures for inflation adjustment clauses in contracts.
• A regional council can use business statistics to plan and evaluate initiatives to attract business and
industry to its region.
Statistics New Zealand updates Infoshare within five minutes of the official release of new information. This
timeliness is especially important for users of economic data, such as GDP and CPI.
Infoshare also holds historical data, which allows users to evaluate trends or seasonal changes.
Visit: http://www.stats.govt.nz/infoshare
What is Infoshare?
Infoshare is a free online tool that gives you access to a range of data:
• economic information (eg price index and production figures)
• demographic measures (eg births, deaths and life expectancy)
• arrival and departure data
• wholesale and retail trade information
• exports and imports data
• building consents data.
You can:
• find tables by searching, or browsing through a list
• customise your table by defining what variables and values to include
• view your table on screen
• download your table in Excel or comma separated variable (CSV) format
• save queries for re-use
• print your tables.
Who uses the data in Infoshare?
Anyone can access Infoshare. Existing users are from a wide range of organisations including
businesses, industry organisations, financial institutions, universities, media, central, regional and
local government and community organisations.
What new information has been added since the first release of Infoshare last October?
A broad range of imports, exports, and re-exports data is now available on Infoshare. This includes
the value and quantity of over 28,000 commodities and the countries we import them from or export
them to. This information has been added to the vast amount of time-series data on businesses,
economic indicators (such as CPI and GDP), industry sectors, population, tourism, and work,
income and spending.
Why has Infoshare been developed?
Infoshare was developed as part of the Making More Information Freely Available initiative – a
programme for making a larger range of statistical information available for free. This information is
valuable for businesses, local government, communities and the public.
The data in Infoshare was previously only available to paying subscribers through a system called
INFOS. Infoshare was developed to replace INFOS and make the data available from our website.
How can people access the information on Infoshare?
Infoshare is available on the Statistics New Zealand website – www.stats.govt.nz/infoshare
You can also contact the Statistics New Zealand information centre toll free on 0508 525 525 or
email info@stats.govt.nz