Net migration slows down - but it's still high

March 21, 2018
The call comes after Australia banned registered sex offenders from holding a passport or travelling overseas.

New arrivals continue to flock to New Zealand, despite net migration numbers falling each month since the middle of last year, Stats NZ says.

The government statistician said 68,900 more migrants arrived in the country than left it in the 12 months up to February.

It was the first time annual net migration had dipped below 69,000 since May 2016.

Stats NZ population insights senior manager Peter Dolan said net migration had been slowing after it hit a record high of 72,400 in July 2017.

"(But) although annual net migration is slowing, it still remains high by historical standards," he said.

Overall, in the year to February, 131,000 migrants arrived in New Zealand and 62,000 left the country.

Stats NZ said the lower annual net migration was mainly caused by an increase in people leaving who weren't New Zealand citizens.

There were 29,100 departures of non-New Zealanders over the 12 months, up 22 per cent from figures a year earlier.

Those leaving for Asia increased by 31 per cent to hit 11,700.

Nearly two-thirds of these were going to China, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

However, there was also simultaneously more arrivals from Asia, leading to a net gain of 30,500 migrants from the region, Stats NZ said.

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