Although Auckland is the most expensive city in New Zealand, it’s very liveable and offers a nice lifestyle for anyone migrating there, either from overseas or elsewhere in the country.
This can be reflected in the recent migration stats from 2023 with a net migration of 110,200 people moving to New Zealand overall. To explain, net migration is the difference between migrant departures and migrant arrivals.
But in actual fact, the total number of people who migrated to New Zealand in the year ending August 2023 was 225,400. Of those, 199,500 were non-New Zealand citizens.
These statistics indicate that there was a trend of more people migrating to New Zealand than migrating from New Zealand to other parts of the world.
Where Have the Majority of International Migrants come from?
According to the statistics as of March 2023, international migrants to New Zealand came from:
- India
- China
- Philippines
- South Africa
- Australia
- Fiji
- United Kingdom
Overall, the migration trend from 2023 showed quite a substantial increase in non-NZ citizens moving to New Zealand. The figures stated above are almost the highest recorded since January 2001. These figures were only surpassed in February 2020 just before the pandemic.
Auckland is the Major Destination for Immigrants
Being New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland has always attracted a larger share of immigrants from overseas. But the number of people leaving Auckland for overseas destinations has also been quite consistent.
Nevertheless, in 2023, there were far more people moving to Auckland than there were people leaving. In fact, the Auckland population grew by 2.8 per cent in the year ending the 30th of June 2023. That’s a net gain of around 47,800 people just from international migration alone.
Added to this was a natural population increase of 10,400 which was offset by a total of 11,200 people migrating outside of Auckland.
That still leaves a lot of people who have to find somewhere to live and work. As a result, this increase in population has resulted in higher rental costs and house prices due to an overall shortage of supply.
What About Domestic Migration to Auckland?
According to recent statistics, most people residing on the North Island prefer to migrate close to home while those from the South Island are more likely to move to the North.
Looking at the figures from 2021-22, 76% of Aucklanders stayed in the same region while only 6% moved to the South Island. Conversely, over 40% of people migrating from Marlborough moved to the North Island with the remaining 60% staying on the South Island but moving to a different region.
There’s a strong suggestion that this migration to the North Island and Auckland in particular, is spear-headed by younger residents who have finished their tertiary education and are looking for a more vibrant lifestyle as well as being close to the airport.
What Does This Mean for Auckland in 2024?
If the rate of migration stays the same as in 2023 or increases, it could add to the current housing stress and only increase the current affordability issues, especially in a major centre such as Auckland.
In fact, there are no concrete signs that this increased migration trend is likely to slow down any time soon.
Grace Removals are experts in relocations to Auckland domestically and internationally, contact us to find out how we can help.
