New Migration Patterns Reshape NZ Landscape

New Zealand recorded more than 72,000 long-term departures of its own citizens between September 2024 and September 2025, new figures from Statistics NZ show. The data, released this week, highlights a significant shift in population movement and reveals the country’s lowest net migration gain since 2013, excluding the COVID-19 years, Emma Ricketts of Stuff reported.

While the Labour Party claimed the figures show Kiwis are “giving up and heading overseas,” the overall picture is more nuanced. Net migration remained positive, meaning more people arrived than left, though the margin has sharply narrowed.

Net Migration Still Positive, but Significantly Lower

For the September 2025 year, New Zealand recorded a net migration gain of 12,434. This was derived from 138,871 long-term arrivals and 126,437 long-term departures across all nationalities, reported Emma Ricketts of Stuff.

Although still growing, the figure is 44,000 lower than in 2015, and a staggering 120,300 lower than in 2023, which was considered an exceptional post-pandemic boom year. Historically, between 2002 and 2019, New Zealand averaged a net gain of 28,400 migrants annually, more than double the most recent figure.

Statistics NZ noted that the 2025 numbers are provisional, as authorities cannot fully determine long-term stay durations until individuals have completed 12 of the next 16 months in or out of the country, Emma Ricketts of Stuff reported.

Departure of Kiwis Drives the Decline

The largest contributor to the lower net migration is the sharp rise in New Zealand citizens leaving long-term.

• 72,684 Kiwis departed in September 2025 year

• Only 26,316 New Zealanders returned after living abroad for at least 12 months

Over the past decade, the number of citizens leaving has steadily risen, while return migration has declined. Notably, the number of returning Kiwis has not rebounded to pre-COVID levels, reported Emma Ricketts of Stuff.

Arrivals Steady, Departures Rising

Long-term arrivals of all nationalities were relatively similar to numbers recorded a decade earlier (138,871 vs 136,786). However, long-term departures have increased significantly (126,437 vs 80,289 a decade earlier).

Where Migrants Are Coming From and Who Is Leaving

Among arrivals in September 2025:

• 26,316 were New Zealand citizens

• 18,550 Chinese citizens

• 18,256 Indian citizens

• 10,574 Filipino citizens

Among departures:

• 72,684 New Zealand citizens

• 7,870 Chinese citizens

• 5,662 Indian citizens

• 4,917 UK citizens

• 4,257 Australian citizens

Non-NZ Citizens: Arrivals Fall From 2023 Boom

Migration trends for non-New Zealand citizens show:

• Arrivals have recovered from Covid lows but have dipped significantly since 2023.

• Departures of non-citizens hit their highest level in a decade, though the overall 10-year trend remains relatively stable.