August saw a small gain in net migration of 47. There were 7,851 migrant arrivals and 7,804 departures, according to Statistics New Zealand. For the year ended March 2022, there was a net loss of 7,700 people.
“Arrivals to New Zealand have been increasing each month from March 2022, following the gradual relaxation of Coivd-19 related border restrictions,” said Tehseen Islam, StatsNZ population indicators manager to the NZ Herald.
In the 2010s, migrant levels averaged 126,900 arrivals and 93,300 departures. In the last 27 months, 31,900 New Zealand citizens arrived home, and 11,400 left the country. In comparison, 30,900 non-citizens have departed, and 6,000 have arrived.
Typically the nation has had a net migration loss of New Zealand citizens and a gain in non-citizens.
As the global labour market struggles, opposition parties are calling for further relaxation of immigration rules to encourage greater net migration gains.
