The sum of the cross-border balances on merchandise trade, services trade, investment income and transfers.

It is a record of the value of New Zealand's transactions in goods, services, income, and transfers with the rest of the world, and the changes in New Zealand's financial claims on (assets) and liabilities to the rest of the world. The Balance of Payments statement comprises the current and capital accounts (which record the value of New Zealand's transactions in goods, services, income, and transfers with non-residents) and the financial account (which records financial transactions involving New Zealand's transactions with non-residents).

For more information, see the Statistics NZ website, especially its Infoshare section. The RBNZ also summarises the great detail Statistcs NZ publishes down to its essential elements - see RBNZ data series A4.