Immigration New Zealand has recorded its highest immigration levels in over five years.
The number of permanent arrivals exceeded departures by 22,588 in the 12 months ending on 31 January, according to data from Statistics New Zealand.
There were 33,414 permanent and long-term departures for Australia, during the same period. This number was down from 50,531 a year earlier.
The number of short term visitors also rose, registering an increase of 5% from January 2009. There were a total of 2.47 million visitor arrivals in the year to 31 January, an increase of 1% from the previous year.
The fact that fewer New Zealanders chose to leave the country also had a strong impact in the net immigration figures. About 39,700 New Zealand citizens left in the year ended 31 January, down from about a third from the previous year. The number of New Zealanders heading to Australia fell by 40%.
These numbers are, according to specialists, providing added stimulus to the country’s housing market, as well as underpinning consumer demand.
Back in September, immigration figures had already hit a five-year high, with New Zealand gaining 1600 more new migrants than those who left the country permanently in August 2009, and an annual net gain of 17,000 permanent and long-term migration in the September 2009 year.
