Key takeaways
- Home goods were 53% of what New Zealand bought from India in our categories in 2025, against about 35% for India's exports as a whole; bed linen and furnishing articles alone were US$34 million.
- New Zealand's fibre content and care label rules ask for English. The Commerce Commission says care symbols may accompany written instructions, so check any symbols-only label designed for Australia.
- New clothing and footwear sold in New Zealand must carry a country of origin label, and the seller cannot rely on the supplier's word that it is right.
- Wooden furniture and décor come under MPI's woodware import health standard; bamboo, cane, rattan and willow have a standard of their own.
What New Zealand buys from India
India shipped US$100 million of the goods we inspect to New Zealand in calendar year 2025, about the same as in 2024. What stands out is the mix: US$53 million of it was home goods, more than half, while home goods are about 35% of India's exports in these categories to the world. Bed linen and furnishing articles such as cushion covers and throws are the largest single line.
| Category | India's exports to New Zealand, 2025 (US$ million) |
|---|---|
| Home textiles (HS 6301–6304) | 34.5 |
| of which bed, table and kitchen linen (6302) | 19.1 |
| of which furnishing articles such as cushion covers (6304) | 14.9 |
| Knitted apparel (HS 61) | 18.0 |
| Woven apparel (HS 62) | 17.1 |
| Rugs and carpets (HS 57) | 7.7 |
| Leather goods and bags (HS 42) | 6.5 |
| Furniture and lighting (HS 9401, 9403–9405) | 5.1 |
| Toys and sports goods (HS 95) | 3.9 |
New Zealand's figures are small next to Australia's US$810 million, but the pattern is similar: textiles for the home first, then clothing. If you buy for both countries, the label rules below differ in small ways that are worth settling once in your artwork.
Where these goods are made in India
- Bed linen, cushion covers and throws: Panipat, Haryana, the Town of Export Excellence for bed linen, and Karur, Tamil Nadu, the Town of Export Excellence for handlooms. See bed sheet and duvet cover inspection and cushion inspection.
- Rugs: Bhadohi, a Town of Export Excellence for carpets, Mirzapur, added for handmade carpets and dari under Foreign Trade Policy 2023, and Panipat for flatweaves. See dhurrie and kilim inspection.
- Apparel: Tirupur, the Town of Export Excellence for hosiery, for knitwear; Gurgaon, Noida and Faridabad in Delhi NCR for woven garments. See T-shirt and knit top inspection.
- Leather bags: Agra, Kanpur and Ambur, the Towns of Export Excellence for leather products. See leather handbag inspection.
Delhi NCR has inspectors based there, so travel is US$99 per man-day. Panipat, Karur, Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Tirupur, Agra, Kanpur and Ambur are charged at actual travel cost, quoted before you book.
Fibre, care and origin labels for New Zealand
The Commerce Commission enforces three consumer information standards that matter at a textile or garment factory. Its guidance says the supplier in New Zealand is responsible and cannot assume goods comply because a manufacturer or wholesaler supplied them, so the check belongs before shipment.
- Fibre content. The Fibre Content Labelling Regulations 2000 cover most new textile goods, including clothing, fabrics and carpets; bags, toys and footwear are excluded. The label must be in English, clearly readable and at least 1.5 mm high, listing fibres from the highest amount to the lowest. Percentages are optional.
- Care. The Care Labelling Regulations 2000 cover clothing, household textiles, furnishings, upholstered furniture, bedding and mattresses, and leather and suede articles. Labels must be in English; symbols may accompany the written instructions. Australia's 2023 care standard accepts symbols alone, so a label artwork shared between the two markets should carry English words.
- Country of origin. New clothing and footwear need a label saying where they were made, in English and at least 1.5 mm high. Clothing carries a permanent label; footwear is marked on each item where practical. Handbags and jewellery are excluded.
On sampled pieces the inspector checks that every label is present, sewn where it will stay, legible, in the order of fibres on your specification, and matches your approved artwork. Children's nightwear also needs a fire hazard label; see nightwear inspection. Fibre content itself is confirmed by an accredited lab, not by eye.
MPI biosecurity on wood, cane and bamboo
New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) sets import health standards (IHS) for wooden goods. The Woodware from all countries IHS covers furniture, furnishings, household goods and utensils made of wood. Products made from bamboo, cane, rattan or willow fall under a separate IHS for those materials, and bark that is not lacquered or permanently coated falls under the IHS for bark. The woodware standard requires consignments to be free of live regulated pests and sets a limit for contaminants such as soil; contaminated lots must be cleaned, treated, reshipped or destroyed.
These are the same problems that cause holds in Australia (see our Australia page), and they are visible at the factory. On sampled pieces the inspector looks for bark left on legs and frames, borer holes, fresh frass, live insects, mould and soil in cartons, and photographs any treatment certificate. See cane and rattan furniture and wooden décor inspection. Pallets and crates need ISPM 15 marks, which container loading supervision checks.
Rules, trade agreement and time zones
Rules that apply. We do not have a New Zealand checklist among our import compliance guides yet, so the labelling and biosecurity points above are the ones to brief us on. Origin marking across markets is compared on product labelling and country of origin, and dye chemistry on azo dyes and restricted substances.
Trade agreement. New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says both countries have ratified the India–New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, paving the way for entry into force on 20 October 2026. Whether a shipment qualifies, and at what duty, is for your customs broker; we can check that goods, cartons and quantities match the invoice and packing list behind a certificate of origin.
Time zones. India Standard Time is UTC+5:30 with no daylight saving. New Zealand is UTC+12, or UTC+13 in daylight-saving months (late September to early April), so India is 6 hours 30 minutes or 7 hours 30 minutes behind. Our office hours, 9:30 am to 6:30 pm IST Monday to Saturday, begin at 4:00 pm or 5:00 pm in Auckland. In practice the inspection runs during your evening and you read the findings the next working day. The report, with photographs and a verdict of Cleared to load, Hold or Not cleared, follows within 24 hours of the inspection after a supervisor's review.
Booking and price
A pre-shipment inspection costs US$249 per man-day: one inspector, one factory, one working day of 8 hours, report included, plus travel by band. For bed linen and cushion covers, a during-production inspection finds shade, size and stitching problems while they can still be fixed. If you buy for New Zealand and Australia on the same order, send both label sets and tell us which cartons go where. See pricing or book an inspection.
Sources
- UN Comtrade: India exports by partner and HS code, 2025
- MFAT: New Zealand–India Free Trade Agreement
- Commerce Commission: Fibre content labelling
- Commerce Commission: Care labelling
- Commerce Commission: Clothing and footwear country of origin labelling
- MPI: Woodware from all countries, Import Health Standard (2018)
- MPI: Bamboo, Cane, Rattan and Willow from all countries, Import Health Standard (2018)
- MPI: Requirement documents for importing wood products
- MPI: Importing wood packaging and ISPM 15 material
- Federal Register of Legislation (Australia): Consumer Goods (Care Labelling) Information Standard 2023
- DGFT: Appendix 1B, Towns of Export Excellence
- PIB: Foreign Trade Policy 2023 (new TEEs incl. Faridabad and Mirzapur)
- timeanddate.com: India Standard Time
- timeanddate.com: New Zealand time zone and daylight saving