KEY POINTS:
The flood of migrants across the Tasman continues unabated, with latest figures showing New Zealanders leaving at a rate approaching 1000 a week, breaking a 20-year record.
In the year ended January, 48,500 New Zealanders headed to Australia on a permanent or long-term basis, with only 13,100 coming the other way, according to Statistics New Zealand figures released today.
The net outflow of 35,400 people in the year easily broke the January 1989 year record of 33,700, and the December 1979 year record of 33,400.
Despite the loss of residents to Australia, New Zealand gained overall 4500 more migrants than it lost.
Short-term travel to and from New Zealand dropped in January.
Short-term overseas visitor arrivals totalled 244,000 in the month, and resident short-term departures stood at 105,100 - down 4 per cent and 5 per cent respectively on January last year.
In the full year ended in January, 2.449 million visitors came to New Zealand, down 1 per cent on the previous January year.
Fewer people came here from the United States, Korea, the UK, and Japan.
The earlier timing of the Chinese New Year, compared with 2008, resulted in more visitors from China and Hong Kong.
New Zealanders took fewer short-term overseas trips in the year, with Pacific destinations showing the sharpest downturn.
Travel to Fiji was down 38 per cent, New Caledonia down 84 per cent, and the United States down 22 per cent.
The number of New Zealanders making short-term trips to Australia continued to rise, up 6 per cent for the year.
- NZPA
