Migration

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32367, 5 August 1970, Page 12

Migration

In the year ended April, 1746 more people arrived in New Zealand than left New Zealand, according to the latest migration statistics released by the Government Statistician. This represents an insignificant addition to New Zealand’s population of more than 2,800,000 in April this year, and is small enough when compared with the natural increase in population—nearly 39,000 in the year ended April. But it does represent a dramatic change from the 12,217 net outflow of population in the preceding 12 months, and the 10,514 net outflow in the 12 months ended April, 1968. The net emigration which began in the New Zealand recession of 1967-68 was checked in the latter months of last year, reversed in the early months of this year. While the figures up to April do not suggest a population inflow approaching the pre-1968 annual averagee of 14,000, earlier experience shows that trends in migration can change abruptly. In the year ended March, 1961, net immigration was less than 2000; in the next 12 months it reached nearly 20,000. Business and Government planning would be more soundly based on an assumption of 10,000 immigrants this year than on an assumption of no net immigration.