New Zealand had a net loss of 103 migrants in the year to October 2011, the first annual net loss since the September 2001 year, Statistics New Zealand says.
Migration losses were dominated by permanent or long-term (PLT) departures to Australia, with the net outflow of 34,957 during the 12 months to October 2011, just below the record of 35,400 set in the year to December 2008, Stats NZ said.
"There were 84,300 PLT arrivals in the October 2011 year, up 2 percent from the October 2010 year. There were 84,400 PLT departures, up 20 percent from the previous year. This meant that there was a net loss of 100 migrants in the October 2011 year, the first annual net loss since the September 2001 year (1,700)," Statistics New Zealand said in a statement.
"Net losses were recorded between the July 1998 year and the September 2001 year. The highest net loss during this period was 13,200 in the February 2001 year. The highest net loss recorded since the PLT migration series started, in April 1921, was 43,600 people in the July 1979 year. Net losses continued throughout most of the 1980s," Stats NZ said.
"After the net loss in the September 2001 year, net migration rose substantially. New Zealand experienced a record net gain of 42,500 migrants in the May 2003 year. The most recent high was a net gain of 22,600 migrants in the January 2010 year. The net migration balance has steadily decreased since then," it said.
"New Zealand's net loss of migrants in the October 2011 year was due to a net loss of 35,000 people to Australia. This is only just below the highest recorded net loss to Australia (35,400 people in the December 2008 year). The October 2011 year figure resulted from 49,500 departures to Australia, offset by 14,500 arrivals from Australia. In both directions, most migrants were New Zealand citizens.
"There were net gains of migrants from most other countries, led by the United Kingdom (5,700), India (5,100), and China (4,600) in the October 2011 year," Stats NZ said.
Monthly
Seasonally adjusted permanent and long-term (PLT) migration figures showed a net loss of 600 migrants in October 2011. Since the February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand has had a net loss of migrants in all months except August 2011, Statistics New Zealand said.
Unadjusted figures showed a net inflow of 800 migrants in October 2011, compared with 1,700 in October 2010. The main changes were:
- 600 more departures of New Zealand citizens to Australia
- 300 fewer arrivals of non-New Zealand citizens, including 400 fewer on student visas but 200 more on work visas
- 200 fewer arrivals of New Zealand citizens.
Migrants who arrived on student visas numbered 2,700 in the August to October 2011 months combined. The comparable figure between August and October 2009 was 2,600, but this increased to 3,700 in the same months of 2010. The changes were mainly driven by a rise then fall in the number of students arriving from India, Stats NZ said.
In October 2011, there were net gains of migrants from the United Kingdom (900), China (400), India (300), Germany, and Ireland (each 200). The net gain from India was half that recorded in October 2010 (600), it said.
There was a net loss of 2,700 migrants to Australia, up from 1,900 in October 2010. The latest figure is the highest net loss recorded for an October month since 1988 (2,900), Stats NZ said.
Migration to and from Christchurch since the February earthquake
Five hundred Christchurch residents moved overseas in October 2011, up from 400 in October 2010. Since the devastating earthquake on 22 February 2011, there have been 6,000 departures from Christchurch, compared with 3,700 during the same period in 2010, Stats NZ said.
Four hundred migrants arrived from overseas to settle in Christchurch in October 2011, down from 600 in October 2010. Since the February earthquake, there have been 3,200 arrivals to Christchurch, compared with 4,300 during the same period in 2010, it said.
Key’s first term vs Clark’s final term
We now have the last figures before the November 26 election of permanent/long-term departures from New Zealand to Australia and PLT arrivals from Australia to New Zealand. See them in this spreadsheet here, sheets 1 & 2. Data is sourced from Stats NZ's infoshare. See the annual net figures of PLT migration to Australia in the interactive chart below.
Between December 2008 and October 2011, 43,712 migrants moved from Australia to New Zealand permanently or long-term. That compared to 116,500 moving from NZ to Australia, giving a net departure figure to Australia of 72,788 during those 35 months.
Comparing that to the same period under the last Labour government’s final term: (note: have left out November 2008, which was the election month; The 2005 election was held in September 2005, but for comparison the 35 month block used is December 2005 to October 2008).
Between December 2005 and October 2008, 39,198 people moved from Australia to New Zealand permanently/long-term. During that time, 119,613 people left, giving net departures from NZ to Aus of 80,415 during those 35 months.
(Updates with video of Goff, Key vs Clark comparison, monthly figures, Chch numbers, Stats NZ comments, interactive chart)
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