New data shows 79,700 New Zealand citizens departing country
Migrant departures in New Zealand hit a record-high in the year ending in September 2024, according to data released by Stats NZ on Wednesday.
Its latest international migration statistics revealed that there were 133,030 migrant departures in the year ending in September 2024, provisionally the highest on record for an annual period.
However, this was offset by migrant arrivals of 177,937, resulting in a net migration of 44,907.
Source: Stats NZ
According to Stats NZ data, there were 79,700 migrant departures of New Zealand citizens, much lower than arrivals of 24,900, and leading to a net migration loss of -54,700.
On the other hand, arrivals were much higher for non-NZ citizens (153,000) than the departure of non-NZ citizens (53,300), leading to a net migration gain of 99,600.
Meanwhile, the report also revealed a provisional net migration loss of 30,000 people to Australia in the year ending in March 2024.
"This was made up of 17,000 migrant arrivals from Australia to New Zealand, and 46,900 migrant departures from New Zealand to Australia," the report read.
By citizenship, there was a provisional net loss to Australia of 28,600 New Zealand citizens in March 2024, according to the report.
The findings come amid concerns that New Zealand would suffer from a brain drain as employers across Australia offer generous incentives to attract citizens to fill their workforce gaps.
Michael Gordon, senior economist at Westpac NZ, pointed out that departures of New Zealanders "have slowed substantially from their highs in recent months" despite remaining above pre-COVID levels.
"The slowdown in departures is notable given that job prospects in Australia (the most common destination) remain significantly more positive than in New Zealand," Gordon said in a statement.
"However, some of the surge in departures will have reflected catch-up activity after the border was reopened – and perhaps to a greater degree than we had assumed."
