A record number of Chinese visitors for an August month helped lift the number of short-term visitors to New Zealand to the highest recorded in an August month.
(Update corrects August rise in emigration to Australia).
Statistics New Zealand said today short-term overseas visitor arrivals rose 4% to 168,100 last month from 161,100 in August 2009.
The number of Chinese visitors more than doubled from a year earlier to 9,700 from 4,600. This was the highest number of Chinese visitors recorded in an August month, topping the 9,000 in August 2007.
The number of Chinese visitors was third on a per country basis, behind the 87,956 Australians who visited during the month and the 11,044 US citizens.
Statistics New Zealand said in 2008 and 2009, visitor numbers from China were hit by the Global Financial Crisis, Sichuan earthquake, Beijing Olympics, and the Swine Flu pandemic.
“These events particularly affected short-staying holiday visitors, which account for the majority of visitors from China,” Statistics New Zealand said.
“Holiday visitors from China numbered 6,000 in August 2007, dropping to 2,200 in August 2009 before recovering to 6,400 in August 2010.”
Statistics New Zealand said at 212,600, the underlying trend derived from its seasonally adjusted series, shows visitor arrivals hit an all-time high in August, ahead of the previous high of 212,400 in November 2009.
Emigration to Australia rises
Meanwhile, emigration of New Zealand citizens to Australia rose 56% more than doubled in August to 1,600 from 700 in August 2009. That follows a 54% rise in July, versus July 2009, to 1,469 as wage growth increases across the Tasman and unemployment rises here. However, the net outflow to Australia in the year to August was 17,300, well down from 24,800 in the August 2009 year.
Overall on a seasonally adjusted basis, Statistics New Zealand said net permanent and long-term migration, arrivals minus departures, was 800 in August 2010. That’s just below its revised figure of 900 in July. Net migration for the August year was 14,500, with net gains from Britain, 6,500, India 5,800, and China 3,600.
ASB economist Christina Leung said the figures would be encouraging for the Reserve Bank, given it highlighted in last week’s Monetary Policy Statement that subdued net migration was one of the drivers behind its forecasts for a weak household sector.
“The August outturn suggests net migration over the coming year may not be as subdued as initially expected,” Leung said. “We expect subdued population growth will underpin a gradual recovery in housing construction and retail spending.”
Net long term migration
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17 Comments
well,it looks like the lemmings are speeding up in their departure from kiwiland..mainly to Oz i suspect!
makes sense esp for the younger demographic..got to go where the work is.
the irony is if you're financially secure and got your life under control n.z is still the best place around to hang your hat!
but?????
Its all how they look. Its just a case of having a look and if its crude and uneducated, then you just tart it up a bit. Simple and effective and people are happier that way, so lets just leave it before your email adress is tracked and you have to be very careful crossing the road.
You boys are a bit slow on the uptake.
If the total number of people going to Aus is 100%, then the figure from Aug 2009 is 44% of the August 2010 total, therefore the Aug 2010 total is 56% higher - simple logic boys.
Not a 56 % increase per se, but 56% higher two different things. It's all in the statistics lads.
here's one for the chinese hordes flooding into nz to make millions off the christchurch market?
Property owners are being warned not to take too much notice over speculation around what will happen in the real estate market.
The Property Institute says a natural disaster can result in an array of speculation as to the impact of the earthquake on all areas of life including personal, business and the Canterbury economy.
"A much talked about area and a major concern for buyers, sellers and home owners is the impact upon the property market," the institute's Canterbury/Westland branch spokesperson Chris Stanley says.
"The Property Institute of New Zealand holds concern that non-factual comments having been made to the media, such as, property values in Canterbury are likely to plummet, do nothing for the stress levels of an already jittery public."
"Such comments are personal opinion and speculative," Stanley says.
It says the reality, whilst not always easy to accept, is that the Christchurch property market, like so many other sectors, is in uncharted waters and no one knows accurately how this will impact upon value levels.
"The only certainty is that the market and those buyers and sellers therein will determine the impact on value levels. This may however take many months to filter through."
Like all larger metropolitan areas, Christchurch is made up of many sub-markets and we are likely to see different trends and patterns emerge which dictate what areas, if any, have been impacted upon this event and those who have benefited.
"It is highly unlikely however that the overall Christchurch property market will plummet."
Real estate activity has fallen in Christchurch since the earthquake and it likely to stay this way for some time.
The institute says it is now more important that ever to get good quality independent and local advice when either buying or selling a property or considering the impact of any damage
ah,so..right take the chopper up, Hung One, and take me to remmers where the greedy people live!
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