🇳🇿 NZD vs 🇺🇸 USD: Currency Strength Comparison
Data updated: November 6, 2026
On November 6, 2026, one US Dollar bought 1.8039 NZD at the official reference rate, so per unit the US Dollar is worth more. A higher unit value only reflects how each currency is denominated, not which one is gaining: over the past 12 months NZD weakened by 2.2% against USD, so on momentum the US Dollar (USD) is the stronger of the two.
Adjusted for consumer-price inflation in both economies, NZD lost 1.8% in real terms against USD over the same period.
NZD relative to USD
Positive values mean NZD strengthened against USD.
NZD vs USD over the last three years
NZD against USD, index 100 on November 6, 2023. A rising line means NZD gained on USD. Dashed: the same, adjusted for consumer-price inflation in both economies. Green dot: 3-year high, red: 3-year low.
- 3-year high: 106.4 on September 30, 2024, when NZD was at its strongest against USD in the period.
- 3-year low: 92.8 on November 6, 2026.
- Now: 92.8, at the 3-year low: NZD has not been weaker against USD at any point in the period.
- Sharpest one-month move: NZD rose 7.9% against USD between April 9, 2025 and April 22, 2025, around the time of “Trump pauses tariffs after bond selloff” (🇺🇸 April 9, 2025).
What moved NZD and USD
- · 🇳🇿 RBNZ hikes OCR to 2.50% — New Zealand's central bank raises rates again to bring inflation back to target
- · 🇺🇸 Senate confirms Warsh as Fed chair — Kevin Warsh is confirmed in the closest Fed chair vote in modern history, succeeding Powell
- · 🇺🇸 Supreme Court strikes down IEEPA tariffs — The Court rules 6-3 that Trump's emergency-powers tariffs exceeded presidential authority
- · 🇳🇿 RBNZ cuts to 2.25%, signals end — RBNZ cuts to a three-year low while signaling its easing cycle is complete
- · 🇺🇸 Fed resumes cutting to 4.00-4.25% — The FOMC restarts its easing cycle after holding rates since December 2024
- · 🇺🇸 Moody's strips US of AAA rating — Moody's downgrades US sovereign debt, citing rising debt and interest costs
Major central-bank decisions, elections and shocks for the two currencies since November 6, 2023. The interactive chart marks them on the line.
Performance against 15 major currencies
| Currency | 12-month change vs basket | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand Dollar (NZD) | -1.2% | #9 of 16 |
| 🇺🇸 US Dollar (USD) | +1.1% | #6 of 16 |
Open the interactive NZD/USD chart →
How this comparison works
Each currency's strength index starts at 100 and accumulates its daily change against 15 other major currencies (a geometric mean of pairwise exchange-rate moves), using European Central Bank reference rates and other official sources. The relative figures above divide NZD's index by USD's, so they reflect the two currencies' performance against each other while accounting for the whole basket. The real variant additionally adjusts each currency for its domestic CPI inflation.
Read the full methodology →Frequently asked questions
Is NZD stronger than USD right now?
It depends on the question. Per unit, 1 USD = 1.8039 NZD (reference rate, November 6, 2026), so the US Dollar is worth more. As for which one is gaining, over the past 12 months NZD weakened by 2.2% against USD, so on momentum the US Dollar (USD) is the stronger of the two.
How do NZD and USD perform against other major currencies?
Against a basket of 15 major currencies over the past 12 months, NZD ranks #9 of 16 (-1.2%) while USD ranks #6 (+1.1%).
What does the NZD vs USD strength comparison show?
Rather than a single exchange rate, this page compares how each currency performed against a basket of 15 major currencies, then derives their relative strength. It filters out moves caused by the other currency alone and shows who is truly stronger.
How often is the data updated?
Every trading day (Monday to Friday), after the European Central Bank publishes its reference rates, usually around 16:00 CET.