External Migration: August 2005

Small Decrease in Visitor Arrivals

There were 150,700 short-term overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand in August 2005, a decrease of 1,400 (1 percent) from August 2004, Statistics New Zealand said today. There were more visitors from China and Korea and fewer visitors from Japan and the United States compared with the previous August.

Seasonally adjusted monthly visitor arrivals were up less than 1 percent in August 2005, following a fall of 16 percent in July 2005.

In the year ended August 2005, there were 2.397 million visitor arrivals, up 102,700 (4 percent) on the August 2004 year. Australia (up 58,600) provided 57 percent of the annual increase. There were also more visitors from the United Kingdom and China compared with the August 2004 year.

New Zealand residents departed on 171,700 short-term overseas trips in August 2005, an increase of 9,000 (6 percent) on August 2004. There were more trips to Australia and the Cook Islands, and fewer trips to the United States.

In the August 2005 year, New Zealand resident short-term departures numbered 1.841 million, up 13 percent on the 1.630 million recorded in the previous year.

Permanent and long-term (PLT) arrivals exceeded departures by 600 in August 2005, compared with an excess of 900 arrivals in August 2004. The seasonally adjusted series also recorded a net PLT inflow of 600 in August 2005, compared with an outflow of 100 a month earlier.

In the August 2005 year, there was a net PLT migration gain of 6,600, down 66 percent from the net inflow of 19,300 people recorded in the previous August year.

Brian Pink
Government Statistician

ENDS

There is a companion Hot Off The Press information release published – External Migration: August 2005.

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