The Full Story

Pakistan’s Export Identity

Pakistan’s textile sector contributes 8.5% to GDP and employs millions of workers across
spinning, weaving, dyeing, and garment production. With exports crossing US$17.88 billion in
FY2025, the industry represents more than 60% of Pakistan’s total exports.
That single statistic more than 60% of exports from a single sector describes both Pakistan’s
greatest strength and its most significant structural vulnerability. The textile industry is a genuine
global player. Textile products maintained a consistent average share of around 55.2% in
Pakistan’s total exports during July – March FY 2025. Pakistan has 408 textile units with 13.4
million spindles, producing cotton cloth, yarn, knitwear, readymade garments, towels, bedwear,
and home textiles of internationally competitive quality.

Pakistani textile firms are reportedly receiving additional export orders from global buyers due to
rising costs and political instability in competitors, along with international trade restrictions on
other key players. This competitive repositioning is real and significant: Pakistan is gaining market
share in categories previously dominated by Bangladesh and, to some extent, China. Pakistan’s
readymade garment exports reached an unprecedented US$4.18 billion in fiscal year 2025-26,
marking a 5.5% year-on-year increase and more than doubling from US$1.97 billion in FY2015-
16.

For New Zealand importers, this trajectory matters. A supplier that is gaining global market share,
investing in quality and compliance, and benefiting from structural shifts in the global textile
supply chain is a different proposition from one that is stagnant. Pakistan’s textile sector is
currently the most commercially attractive it has been in a generation.

Pakistan’s Current Exports to New Zealand: The Product Mix

Pakistan exports to New Zealand was US$37.99 million during 2025, according to the United
Nations COMTRADE database. Pakistan’s major exports to New Zealand are textile products,
apparel, rice, leather articles, and sports goods. This is a reasonable portfolio but a narrow one.
It represents the same four or five categories that Pakistan exports to almost every developed
market, and it reflects a lack of deliberate market-specific export strategy for New Zealand.

The Sialkot Factor: Pakistan’s Most Underutilised Export Asset in the New Zealand Context

Sialkot, a mid-sized city in Punjab province, is one of the most remarkable manufacturing clusters
in the developing world. Its two flagship industries surgical instruments and sports goods are
globally significant in ways that most people outside the sector simply do not know.
Surgical Instruments: Based mainly in Sialkot, the surgical instrument industry offers 75-80% of
the world’s manual surgical instruments and has evolved into a pivotal source of Pakistani export
revenues. Annual exports from Pakistan’s surgical industry reached US$1.8 billion in 2024,
representing a substantial increase from US$1.5 billion in 2023.

New Zealand’s healthcare system is publicly funded, procurement intensive, and quality-
conscious is a natural market for Sialkot’s output. New Zealand hospitals, dental practices,
veterinary clinics, and surgical centres procure hundreds of millions of dollars of medical
instruments annually. Specific New Zealand healthcare instrument procurement figures are not
available in publicly accessible sources reviewed for this article, but the New Zealand Ministry of
Health’s procurement framework and Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) purchasing data would
hold this information.

The critical point: Sialkot’s manufacturers already hold CE, ISO, and FDA certifications,
international quality marks that meet or exceed New Zealand’s procurement standards. There is
no quality barrier to market entry. The barrier is “awareness and the absence of dedicated sales
and distribution infrastructure” in New Zealand.

Sports Goods: Each year, Pakistan manufactures 40 million hand-stitched inflatable soccer balls.
Around the FIFA World Cup, the figure increases to 60 million. Global brands including Puma,
Adidas, Nike, Select, Umbro, Lotto, Mitre, and Diadora source supplies from Sialkot. New Zealand
is one of the world’s most sports obsessed nations per capita. Rugby, cricket, netball, football,
rowing, and athletics. The country’s sports culture drives significant sporting goods
consumption. A dedicated commercial program connecting Sialkot’s sports goods
manufacturers with New Zealand’s sports retail and club procurement markets would find willing
buyers.

Rice: A Growing Opportunity

In 2024, Pakistan exported 5.8 million tons of rice to different countries. Pakistan earned
approximately US$3.4 billion from rice exports. Pakistan’s basmati rice and the export success
that followed India’s ban on non-basmati rice exports in 2023 have repositioned Pakistan as the
world’s most significant available rice supplier. New Zealand’s multicultural consumer base with
substantial South Asian, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern communities is an established
market for quality rice. Pakistani basmati is competing directly with Indian basmati and Thai
jasmine rice in this market. Specific New Zealand rice import data disaggregated by origin is not
available in publicly accessible sources reviewed for this article.

Leather Goods: A Compliant, Quality Industry

Pakistan’s leather industry centred in Karachi and Sialkot produces internationally competitive
gloves, garments, and accessories. The best leather clusters are in Karachi (garments) and
Sialkot (gloves). Leather Working Group (LWG) certification is increasingly required by European
buyers and would be the relevant standard for New Zealand market entry.

IT and Digital Services: The Emerging Export

Pakistan’s IT sector exports exceeded US$2.6 billion in FY2023-24. Pakistan ranks among the top
5 countries on global freelancing platforms by earnings. This is a category of Pakistani exports
that does not appear in UN COMTRADE goods data but represents a real and growing bilateral
opportunity.

Potential Pakistan Export Growth Strategy for New Zealand

• Conduct a dedicated New Zealand market study for Pakistani exporters. TDAP (Pakistan’s
  Trade Development Authority) does not appear to have produced a New Zealand-specific
  market study. A detailed analysis of New Zealand procurement channels, import
  requirements, consumer preferences, and competitive landscape for Pakistani product
  categories would be the evidence base for a targeted export push.
• Target the New Zealand healthcare procurement system. New Zealand’s Ministry of
  Health and Health New Zealand (Te Whatu Ora) manage significant centralised
  procurement. A TDAP mission specifically targeting healthcare procurement officers led
  by Sialkot surgical instrument manufacturers could unlock a significant, recurring
  revenue stream.
• Register Sialkot manufacturers with New Zealand Standards bodies. Ensure that major
  Sialkot surgical instrument and sports goods manufacturers have the certifications
  recognised by New Zealand regulatory bodies (Medsafe for medical devices, relevant
  sports body certifications for sports equipment). This is a one-time investment that
  creates permanent market access.
• Launch a “Made in Pakistan” quality campaign in New Zealand. Targeted at both B2B
  buyers and retail consumers, a campaign positioning Pakistan as a quality manufacturing
  origin not just a low-cost source would address the perception gap that keeps Pakistani
  products below their potential market share.
• Develop e-commerce export channels. Many New Zealand consumers who would buy
  Pakistani-made products directly particularly textiles, leather goods, and sporting
  equipment have no way to access them. Platforms like Amazon.com.au (accessible to
  New Zealand consumers), Trade Me for New Zealand -based resellers, and direct-to-
  consumer Pakistani e-commerce brands could all play a role.
• Create a Pakistan-origin basmati rice brand specifically for New Zealand. The New
  Zealand rice market is served primarily by Indian and Thai brands. A dedicated Pakistani
  basmati brand marketed through South Asian grocery retailers and mainstream
  supermarkets would capture market share from the diaspora first and then from the
  broader premium rice consumer segment.
• Establish a New Zealand trade representative for Pakistan. Pakistan’s Trade
  Commissioner network does not appear to include a dedicated New Zealand posting. A
  Trade Commissioner covering Australia and New Zealand, based in Sydney or Canberra
  with specific New Zealand responsibility, would address the representation gap.

The Competitive Landscape: India-New Zealand FTA Implications

India and New Zealand concluded a Free Trade Agreement in August 2026. India competes
directly with Pakistan in textiles, rice, leather goods, and surgical instruments. An FTA giving
Indian products preferential market access in New Zealand while Pakistani products face
standard tariffs are a direct competitive disadvantage that will compound over time. This makes
the case for a Pakistan-New Zealand PTA or FTA not merely attractive but strategically urgent.

The Data Gap

A product-level breakdown of Pakistani exports to New Zealand by specific category and value is
not available through publicly accessible sources reviewed for this article. UN COMTRADE
provides aggregate figures. For product-level analysis, the Pakistan Ministry of Commerce’s trade
statistics and stats New Zealand’s overseas merchandise trade data would be the appropriate
primary sources.

References

• UN COMTRADE – Pakistan Exports to New Zealand (2025 data)
• UN COMTRADE – NEW ZEALAND Imports from Pakistan (2025 data)
• Textile Institute of Pakistan – Industry Overview & Exports FY2025
• Kohan Textile Journal – Pakistan Textile Exports US$17.88B FY2025
• Truly Pakistan – Textile Sector: GDP Contribution & Export Share
• Profit Pakistan Today – Garment Exports FY2025-26 US$4.18B
• Pakistan Business Council – Surgical Instruments Competitiveness Report
• DHL Pakistan – Export Guide: Surgical Instruments & Rice
• Pakistan Business Council – Trade in Goods Data FY25 vs FY24
• Wikipedia – New Zealand–Pakistan Relations (export categories)
• India PIB – India-NZ FTA Conclusion (competitive context for Pakistan)

Author’s note: All data in this and upcoming articles is cited with source and year. Where figures
diƯer between sources, both are acknowledged. Where data is genuinely unavailable, this is
stated explicitly. Readers with access to primary data that improves accuracy are encouraged to
write to the Author at ammar_engineer@hotmail.com