NZ attracts biggest monthly net migration since January 2010 in March

Monday 22nd April 2013

New Zealand rounded out its biggest monthly net gain of new migrants since January 2010 in March, with Chinese and Indians leading the charge.

The country reported a seasonally adjusted net inbound migration of 1,220 in March, the most in more than three years, and the third month of net gains, according to Statistics New Zealand. The monthly net gain was in spite of 2,728 more people quitting New Zealand for Australia, the smallest loss since September 2010, with net migration gains of 423 from China and 572 from India.

There was a net gain of 2,542 new migrants in the 12 months ended March 31, compared to a net loss of 3,383 a year earlier. The UK remained the dominant pool for net positive migration with an annual gain of 6,069, followed by 5,383 from China and 4,858 from India.

Short-term visitor numbers rose to a seasonally adjusted 226,650 in March from 224,420 in February and up from 210,770 a year earlier. The earlier Easter holiday was seen the main cause behind the increase in the March numbers, with the biggest monthly gains from Australia, the UK and US.

The figures come a day after Prime Minister John Key announced plans to spend an extra $158 million on tourism to attract big-spending visitors from emerging nations and international conferences and business events through targeted marketing campaigns.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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