KEY POINTS:
New figures confirm the easing pattern seen so far this year in the gains to New Zealand's population from migration.
Data published today by Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) put the excess of seasonally adjusted permanent and long term (PLT) arrivals over departures at just 140 for April.
That compared with gains of over 1000 a month, peaking at 1830, for each of the last seven months of 2006, while for the first three months of this year the gain ranged between 420 and 640.
PLT visitor migration gains are considered to have an impact on economic growth, as newcomers set up their households after arriving in this country.
Today's SNZ figures show that PLT departures exceeded arrivals by 1300 last month, compared to an excess of 400 departures over arrivals in April 2006.
In the year ended April, there were 82,400 PLT arrivals, up 3 per cent on the April 2006 year. Over the same period PLT departures rose 2 per cent to 71,200.
As a result, net PLT migration was 11,200 in the April year, up from 10,100 in the April 2006 year, but down on the recent net PLT migration peak of 14,800 in the year to November.
The number of short term overseas visitor arrivals to this country last month was up 1.6 per cent on April 2006 to 193,200, SNZ said.
But seasonally adjusted visitor arrivals decreased by 2 per cent during March and April, following a 1 per cent decrease in March and a 6 per cent increase in February.
The 2.45 million visitor arrivals in the April year were up 2 per cent on the April 2006 year.
Visitor arrivals from China were up 12 per cent to 10,900 last month, compared to April 2006, from South Korea up 7 per cent to 8600, and from Thailand up 17.5 per cent to 4400.
The number of visitors from Britain was down 5.5 per cent to 19,850 but that was still the second-highest number from Britain in an April month.
Numbers from Australia down 1 per cent to 78,100 during the month, and those from Japan down 9 per cent to 8100.
In the April year, visitor numbers from Britain were down 3 per cent to 301,700, but that comparison was affected by the large number of visitors from Britain who supported the British and Irish Lions rugby tour in the April 2006 year, SNZ said.
The number of visitors from Australia rose 4 per cent for the year to 913,300, and numbers from China were up 23 per cent to 115,600.
Visitor numbers from Japan were down 14 per cent for the year to 129,300.
New Zealand residents left on 163,700 short-term trips in April, about 900 up on April 2006. The number of trips to China, the Cook Islands and Australia were up, while those to Britain were down.
- NZPA
