Arrivals Up 12 Per Cent

External Migration: May 2001

There were 110,940 overseas visitor arrivals in New Zealand in May 2001, an increase of 11,870 or 12 per cent on May 2000, according to latest figures from Statistics New Zealand. Australia (up 6,070) and Asia (up 3,260) accounted for almost 80 per cent of this increase. This is the first time arrivals in May have exceeded 100,000.

For the year ended May 2001 there were 1.870 million visitors, up 186,000 or 11 per cent on the previous year. Two-thirds of this increase came from five of our seven largest source countries: Australia (up 56,360 or 10 per cent), the United Kingdom (up 27,510 or 15 per cent), Korea (up 15,760 or 27 per cent), China (up 13,850 or 49 per cent) and Japan (up 13,310 or 9 per cent).

Between April and May 2001, seasonally adjusted visitor arrivals increased by 2 per cent. This compares with a fall of 1 per cent between March and April 2001.

In the month of May 2001, permanent and long-term (PLT) departures exceeded arrivals by 2,520, compared with a net outflow of 2,810 in May 2000. For the year ended May 2001, there was a net outflow of 11,110 PLT migrants, 23 per cent more than the net outflow of 9,060 in the May 2000 year. There was a net outflow to Australia (31,830), but net inflows from China (6,840), India (2,760), South Africa (2,300), Fiji (1,950), Japan (1,670) and Samoa (1,040).

Recently available statistics by birthplace suggest that during the December 2000 - February 2001 period there was a significant upturn in PLT departures of New Zealand citizens to Australia, especially of those born in Asia and the Pacific. While departures fell during March and April 2001 to the pre-December 2000 level, there was a further rise in May 2001.

Brian Pink GOVERNMENT STATISTICIAN

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