Number of New Zealanders leaving for Australia in 2024 highest in more than a decade

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Number of Kiwis leaving for Oz in 2024 highest in more than a decade

Author: Cameron Smith,
Publish Date: Thu, 10 Jul 2025, 1:31pm

The number of New Zealanders who left for Australia last year was the highest in more than a decade, Stats NZ said today.

New Zealand recorded a net migration loss of 30,000 people departing to Australia in the year ended December 2024.

This comprised 17,300 migrant arrivals from Australia to New Zealand and 47,300 migrant departures from New Zealand to Australia.

“The loss in 2024 is the largest for a calendar year since 2012, but below the record loss of 43,700 in the March 2012 year,” said international migration statistics spokeswoman Sarah Drake.

The net migration loss in 2024 was similar to the loss in 2023 (29,400).

Stats NZ said that traditionally, there has been a net migration loss from New Zealand to Australia, averaging about 30,000 per year from 2004 to 2013 and 3000 per year from 2014 to 2019.

Kiwis leaving in record numbers

Annual migrant departures in May 2025 were 124,500 – provisionally the highest on record – and up 14% compared with May 2024.

Migrant arrivals in the 12 months to May fell 26% when compared with the previous year, to 139,400.

New Zealand had an annual net migration gain of 14,800 in the year to May 2025.

Kiwis made up the largest group of migrant arrivals (24,900), followed by citizens from India (21,700); China (16,000); Philippines (11,500); Sri Lanka (6100) and the United Kingdom (4500).

Annual net migration peaked in the year ended October 2023, with a gain of 135,500, Stats NZ said. Annual migrant arrivals also peaked over the same period at 234,800.

New Zealand’s migrant departures are stabilising, having marginally risen from the totals for the year ended March (124,186) and April (124,445).

The long-term average for May years (2002-19) before Covid-19 is 119,200 migrant arrivals, 91,500 migrant departures and a net migration gain of 27,700.

Cameron Smith is an Auckland-based business reporter with the Herald live news team. He joined the Herald in 2015 and has covered business and sports. He reports on topics such as retail, small business, the workplace, and macro-economics.