According to a report by Stuff, the number of people moving overseas from New Zealand has increased over the past year, based on the latest migration data released by Stats NZ.
The figures show that while visitor arrivals rose in July 2025, annual migrant departures also went up. There were 236,600 visitor arrivals in July, an increase of 14,700 compared with July 2024.
At the same time, annual migrant arrivals fell 20% to 140,500, while departures rose 14% to 127,400. New Zealand citizens made up the largest group leaving, with 73,400 departures over the past year, compared with only 25,800 citizens returning home to live.
Visitor numbers from Australia saw the biggest jump, up 17,700 to reach a record 126,700 in July, coinciding with the Australian school holiday period. In contrast, visitor arrivals from China dropped by 3,700, while those from the United States fell by 1,200.
As Stuff reports, the data highlights a key imbalance: while tourism continues to provide a boost, more New Zealanders are choosing to live abroad.