A jump in Americans arriving in New Zealand on cruise ships failed to arrest a 2.3 percent overall decline in the number of short-term visitors last month, with Chinese tourists tumbling by a fifth. Some 260,600 tourists visited New Zealand in January for a short-term stay, down from 266,800 a year earlier, according to Statistics New Zealand. The decline came …

New Zealand recorded a trade deficit in January, reflecting a larger-than-expected decline in exports led by dairy products, while imports rose. The deficit was $305 million last month, for an annual trade gap of $1.3 billion, according to Statistics New Zealand. That compares to the forecast in a Reuters survey of a $100 million surplus. Exports fell to $3.35 billion …

The government is backing the New Zealand Venture Investment Fund with a further $60 million as part of its efforts to encourage more private investment. The latest injection follows a previous $40 million underwrite and is on top of the $160 million the government has already allocated to the venture capital programme. “The underwrite facility is a contingent liability rather …