Second month in a row with net migration from Australia

Stats NZ reports:

New Zealand had a seasonally adjusted net gain (more arrivals than departures) of 5,100 migrants in May 2015. Net migration has been fluctuating around this level for the last nine months, recently peaking at 5,500 in January 2015.

This was the second month in a row that New Zealand has had a seasonally adjusted net gain of 100 migrants from Australia. Before April 2015 there had not been a net gain in migrants from Australia in over 20 years (since 1991).

It is very very unusual for there to be net migration from a larger country to a smaller country, if both are developed economies.

This shows rolling 12 month data. As you can see arrivals from Australia are very close to exceeding departures. If we have another six months of similar data, then we’ll have our first ever year of net migration from Australia.