Number of NZ citizens leaving for overseas hits fresh record

Wednesday, 12 June 2024

How NZ keeps tabs on migration.

Annual net immigration dipped under 100,000 for first time in almost a year in the 12 months to the end of April, according to Stats NZ’s latest estimates.

At the same time, it believes the total and net loss of New Zealand citizens to countries including Australia easily both hit fresh records.

Stats NZ estimates a record 81,246 New Zealand citizens left the country in the year to the end of April to live overseas for at least 12 months.

While 23,841 citizens returned home during the period, the net exodus of citizens also climbed to a new record of 56,498.

Net immigration is continuing to trend down from a record high most recently estimated at 137,736 in the year to October, with departures of NZ citizens at a new record.

Prior to 2023, the biggest net loss of citizens the country had experienced was in 2012 when the outflow peaked at 44,400, it said.

The drop in net immigration to 98,464 during in the year to April resulted from the record number of citizens leaving and an increase in the number of foreign migrants also leaving the country, while the number of new migrants arriving held fairly steady at just over 204,000.

Commenting on the number of citizens leaving the country Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said on Monday that the Government’s challenge was building an economy that left people feeling that if they worked hard they could get ahead.

Rebuilding the economy, “restoring law and order”, and delivering better health and education outcomes would encourage New Zealanders to stay, rather than leave for higher salaries or incomes in other countries, he said.

On a monthly basis — taking into account the flows of both New Zealand and non-New Zealand citizens — the country saw net immigration of 2244 people in April, the lowest number since July 2022 and greatly down on the massive peak of 16,804 in the month of March last year.

Stats NZ counts people as migrants if it believes they will spend at least 12 out of the next 16 months in a different country.

That means its numbers are estimates until it knows for sure how the plans of people crossing the border actually turned out.

Westpac senior economist Michael Gordon noted Stats NZ had slightly downgraded its previous estimate that net immigration peaked at 139,075 in the year to October, now estimating that peak at 137,736.

He expected net immigration to remain in positive territory in future months, but said the softening economy was likely to “weigh on New Zealand’s relative appeal as a destination for migrants’.