This country's population growth from migration almost ground to a halt in April, as the number of long term arrivals in the country was almost matched by long term departures.
Statistics NZ estimates that 9329 people arrived in this country long term in April, while 9203 departed long term, giving a net gain of just 125 people for the month.
Outside of the period 2020-2022, which was affected by pandemic-related travel restrictions, that was the lowest net gain for the month of April since 2013.
In April this year, Statistics NZ estimates that 1437 NZ citizens arrived back in this country after an extended stay overseas, while another 5565 departed long term, giving a net loss of 4127 NZ citizens for the month.
At the same time, 7891 citizens of other countries arrived in the country long term and 3638 departed long term, giving a net gain of 4253 non-NZ citizens for the month.
So essentially, the net gain in foreign migrants coming to this country was matched by the net loss of NZ citizens, keeping overall population change from migration roughly neutral for the month of April.
Over the three years to the end of April 2025, there was a net loss of 124,057 NZ citizens and a net gain of 321,647 non-NZ citizens.
The biggest source countries (by citizenship) for non-NZ migrant arrivals in April were India 1508, China 1324, Philippines 603, Australia 409, Sri Lanka 373, UK 269, Fiji 250, Japan 248 and USA 241.
By visa type (which excludes NZ and Australian citizens) the biggest group of arrivals in April were people on work visas 2134, followed by visitor visas 2061, student visas 1823 and residence visas 1355.
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28 Comments
This is not just the NZ Housing Ponzi death, by a thousand small cuts!!!
With thousands of new housing flooding the market in NZ and virtually no new peeps here to "mind the sheep" in NZ - the Housing Ponzi is being slashed at by a GIANT MACHETE!!
NZ property values down -5% to -10% by Dec 2025, looks likely, shock horror....
I'm retired with three Auckland properties (15% still mortgage) and no other wealth. But house prices need to decline much further before regular working Kiwi families can buy and bring up families. If my $2.6m CV becomes $1m then my children can stop renting, NZ will be a better place and maybe we will invest in productive businesses not houses.
Do your children rent by choice or is housing themselves just simply out of reach?
We're retired too but both our children (now early 40s) got into the housing market before things went crazy.
I do feel for those Kiwis who went overseas for a number of years and now find they can't buy back in to their own country. It is truly distressing.
They are late 30s. One owns a small city apartment with help of bank of mum and dad but the children with families have both parents working and struggling to pay $600pw rent plus the costs of having young children in modern NZ.
Let your children live in your properties? You are part of the problem.
Nifty, it's also singautim's choice to leave his carefully built wealth to his kids upon his departure or perhaps gift it sooner too. Family can often make the worst tenants. Unlike yourself, he genuinely gives a shit about the next generation and supports house prices falling.
I thought you were anti investor and building up wealth in multiple properties? Now its ok. Odd...
I am certainly anti speculator/lord. I am not anti long term investor. Judging by your response, I can tell I'm not the only critic you've come across over your often deranged views of the housing market.
Suck it up Buttercup.
That’s like an obese person with a full plate in front of them bemoaning about their starving children, yet you give Nifty shit instead 😂…he definitely has that choice…but if you believe that investing in unproductive assets is the reason we are in this mess, which a lot of you very strongly do, then he is part of the problem…intentionally or not, he is eh?
Exactly...
singautim,
I find this interesting. Buying property as an investment has made sense for individuals in NZ for decades, but as you now know, this addiction has had significant downside for the country overall-buying and selling houses to each other at ever inflating prices is NOT how countries get rich-and is now pricing many younger Kiwis out of the market altogether.
Only 5-10% by December…jeez, you’ve changed, the old Gecko would’ve been calling numbers way higher…disappointing 😉😂
SgtShorty, I said -60% to bottom, when this crash plays out by 2030.
So a decade of -5 to -10% yearly losses will do it. Capesh?
The numbers stack…capesh received
Capice?
125 is near enough zero. Keep it there and eventually our infrastructure will catch up with the 1.5 million who arrived since 2000. And we may end up with enough teachers, nurses, bus drivers, etc. It will be less fun for politicians and public servants but better for everyone else.
Best news for the economy that we've had in a long time. Just need politicians to suck it up and start looking for real long term gains that make the country a better place.
"With no migrant arrivals or migrant departures, New Zealand’s population is projected to peak at just under 5.5 million in the early 2040s then slowly decline as deaths outnumber births"
https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/new-zealands-population-likely-to-reach-…
Oh no, how will we manage the pension at current settings if we require ever growing numbers of humans? Make hard choices would be the best option, but my gut tells me the can will be kicked until current receivers of it aren't around to have to care.
Pollies and the media class will kick the can, but the math doesn't add up to see out the baby boomers - let alone 1 in 12 working age on main benefit and half a billion spent on meth annually.
Do you think that a proportion of the people leaving are recent immigrants who have received citizenship but may have lost their job or something else that has made them up stumps? I mean if they were willing to come over they are mobile so would open to transiting back home or elsewhere. It would also help explain the huge amount of Kiwi's leaving, they could be "recent" Kiwi's.
It also helps the employment data look better too.
Most immigrants really wanted Australia but couldn't qualify for various reasons. New rules allow Kiwis with Citizenship a direct path into Aussie with only a short time paying tax to becoming full Aussie Citizens. Of off they go. I personally know of six immigrant families all relocated west in the last three years, all before high school started for their kids.
I think we need long term population growth, but it's probably a good thing to have a pause for a while so we can catch up on much needed infrastructure improvements first
'The number of migrants coming to this country was almost exactly matched by the number of people departing long term in April.'
Good.
Good.
Puts another death knell in property prices rising, for some years.
70k NZ citizens left and 25k returned.
https://www.stats.govt.nz/information-releases/international-migration-…
Good
Maybe people overseas have noticed what's going on here.
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