New Zealand saw its highest monthly net migration gain for five months in July, with large numbers of students boosting the net gain to above 5,000.
Statistics NZ said there were provisionally 5,900 migrant arrivals on student visas in July 2024.
"This is the highest for a month since 6,000 in February 2023."
It is provisionally estimated that 17,453 migrants arrived in the country in July, which is the highest tally since February of this year.
While the numbers of inbound migrants are down on the peak monthly levels of up to 25,000 seen after the borders re-opened, the numbers are still on a monthly basis generally well above the 11,000-12,000 a month seen through most of 2019 before the pandemic.
But departures are higher too, with an estimated 12,143 in July. Since February the outbound numbers have been consistently in the 12,000-13,000 range. In 2019 outward migrants were mostly in a 6,000-9,000 monthly range.
All of the migration figures are provisional estimates and Stats NZ attaches all due health warnings to them because the figures don't become finalised till 16 months after the event and generally there are fewer revisions the more time goes on.
The figures are therefore subject to potentially substantial revisions, with Stats NZ advising that the figures are more reliable the closer it comes to the 16 month finalisation period.
Stats NZ is estimating that in the 12 months to July, total net migration was 67,201, which is down from 71,710 in the 12 months to June. The peak level for 12 months was 136,745 as of October last year.
The figures for the 12 months to July 2024 are made up from 200,803 inbound migrants and 133,601 departing migrants.
The number of departing migrants is (provisionally) a record for a 12 month period.
Stats NZ's population indicators manager Tehseen Islam said New Zealand’s net migration rate is down on last year, "but is still relatively high by historical standards".
High net migration rates in 2023 and 2024 "mainly reflect the large number of migrant arrivals to New Zealand following the relaxation of COVID-19-related travel and border restrictions, both in New Zealand and overseas, from 2022".
"New Zealand’s net migration rate in 2023 was the highest since the late 1870s, when New Zealand’s population was under one million," Islam said.
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