NZ exodus to Australia continues in January, marked by departing Cantabrians
By Paul McBeth
March 5 (BusinessDesk) – New Zealand recorded its biggest loss of migrants in a 12-month period since August 2001, as
kiwis continued to jump the ditch seeking a better standard of life and higher-paying jobs in Australia.
Some 4,700 more New Zealanders left for Australia than arrived in January, taking the annual loss to a record 38,100 in
the 12 month-period, according to Statistics New Zealand. That drove a monthly net outflow of migrants to 500, and
pushed the net outflow of migrants to 3,134 in the year ended Jan. 31, the highest net loss since August 2001.
“Net losses have been recorded in 10 of the 11 months since the February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch,” Statistics NZ
said in a statement.
The biggest loss of migrants was in Canterbury with an annual outflow of 3,700, while Auckland was the only region to
attract a net inflow of people at 5,600 in the 12 months ended Jan. 31.
Short-term visitors rose 0.5 percent to 266,800 people in January from the same months a year earlier, led by a 61
percent surge in Chinese tourists. On an annual basis, short-term visitor numbers rose 2.7 percent to 2.6 million, led
by more Chinese, Australian and French visitors.
(BusinessDesk)