New Zealand residents take more overseas trips

New Zealand residents take more overseas trips

19 September 2014

New Zealand residents departed on 2.24 million overseas trips in the August 2014 year, up 2 percent from 2013, Statistics New Zealand said today.

"Around half of all trips by New Zealand residents were to Australia," population statistics project manager Susan Hollows said. "The next most-visited destinations were the United States, Fiji, the United Kingdom, China, and the Cook Islands."

Overseas trips by New Zealand residents reached a new August-month high of 208,400, up 2 percent from August 2013.

In the August 2014 year, visitor arrivals numbered 2.80 million, up 5 percent from the August 2013 year.

The biggest increases were from Australia, the United States, China, Germany, and Singapore.

The number of visitor arrivals to New Zealand in August 2014 was down less than 1 percent from August 2013.

Highest-ever annual net inflow of migrants

"New Zealand had its highest-ever net gain of 43,500 migrants in the August 2014 year," population statistics project manager Susan Hollows said. "The previous high of 42,500 migrants was in the May 2003 year."

The new net migration record was driven by more arrivals and fewer departures of permanent and long-term migrants.

Migrant arrivals reached a new high of 103,900 in the August 2014 year. The increase in arrivals compared with the August 2013 year was led by more students, particularly from India, and more New Zealand citizens arriving from Australia.

The fall in migrant departures was primarily due to fewer departures of New Zealand citizens to Australia (down 15,100), compared with the August 2013 year. The net loss of 6,500 people to Australia in the August 2014 year was the smallest since the January 1995 year (6,200).

For the August 2014 month, New Zealand had a seasonally adjusted net gain (more arrivals than departures) of 4,700 migrants. This equalled the record net gain of 4,700 migrants in February 2003.

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