International Travel and Migration: May 2016
Embargoed until 10:45am – 22 June 2016

Key facts
In May 2016 compared with May 2015:
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Visitor arrivals (193,600) were up 16,900. The biggest changes were in arrivals from:
o China (up 4,300)
o Malaysia (up 2,200)
o Korea (up 1,300)
o the United States (up 1,200)
o Japan (up 1,200).
Overseas trips by New Zealand residents (210,600) were up 1,200. The biggest changes were in
departures to:
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o
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Cook Islands (up 1,200)
China (up 1,000)
Australia (down 1,400).

In May 2016, seasonally adjusted figures showed a net gain of 5,500 migrants.

See the commentary and tables for more information, including annual results.

 Carol Slappendel, Acting Government Statistician
ISSN 1179-0407
22 June 2016

Commentary
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Holiday visitor arrivals from China exceed those from Australia in May
Annual visitors arrivals a record 3.29 million in May 2016 year
Resident departures increase slightly in May
Annual trips by New Zealand residents reach 2.45 million
Declining trend in monthly net gain of migrants
Annual net gain of migrants now a record 68,400

Holiday visitor arrivals from China exceed those from Australia in May
Visitor arrivals numbered 193,600 in May 2016, a new May record. For only the second time on
record, holiday visitor arrivals from China exceeded those from Australia (22,200 compared with
20,200). The only other time when holiday visitor arrivals from China surpassed those from
Australia was February 2015.
Visitor arrivals were up 16,900 (10 percent) in May 2016 from May 2015.

Visitor arrivals by country of residence
The biggest changes in visitors by country of residence between May 2015 and 2016 were
in arrivals from:
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China (up 4,300 to 29,000)
Malaysia (up 2,200 to 4,700)
Korea (up 1,300 to 4,900)
the United States (up 1,200 to 14,400)
Japan (up 1,200 to 5,600).

In May 2016, the median age of a visitor arriving from China was 53 years. This compares with
a median age of 41 years for all other visitor arrivals.

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 Visitor arrivals from Malaysia increased 88 percent between the two May months, mainly driven
by holiday arrivals.

Visitor arrivals by travel purpose
The biggest changes in visitors by travel purpose between May 2015 and 2016 were in arrivals
for:
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holidays (up 12,900 to 87,600)
business (up 2,900 to 25,600)
education (up 1,000 to 4,000).

Visitors from China, Malaysia, Korea, and Japan boosted holiday arrivals. In contrast, Australia
dominated the increase in business arrivals.

Annual visitor arrivals a record 3.29 million in May 2016 year
Visitor arrivals to New Zealand were a record 3.29 million in the May 2016 year. They rose by
314,100 from the May 2015 year, an 11 percent increase.
The biggest changes in visitors by country of residence between the May years were in arrivals
from:
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China (up 84,700 to 394,500)
Australia (up 84,000 to 1.36 million)
the United States (up 24,300 to 255,300).

Holiday-makers and visits to friends and relatives accounted for 81 percent (2.66 million) of
the visitor arrivals in the May 2016 year. This was up 12 percent (282,900) from the May 2015
year.
For more detailed data about visitor arrivals, see the Excel tables in the 'Downloads' box.

Resident departures increase slightly in May
New Zealand-resident travellers departed on 210,600 overseas trips in May 2016, up just 1
percent from May 2015. This was a new May record, surpassing the previous record of May
2015 by 1,200 trips.

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 Overseas trips by country of main destination
The biggest changes in overseas trips by country of main destination (where the person will
spend the most time) between May 2015 and 2016 were in trips to:
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Cook Islands (up 1,200 to 8,200)
China (up 1,000 to 8,400)
Australia (down 1,400 to 90,900).

Annual trips by New Zealand residents reach 2.45 million
New Zealand residents departed on a record 2.45 million overseas trips in the May 2016 year.
This was up 124,400 (5 percent) from the May 2015 year.
The biggest changes in New Zealand-resident departures by country of main destination
between the May years were in departures for:
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Australia (up 32,000 to 1.14 million)
Fiji (up 18,000 to 152,900)
the United Kingdom (up 11,400 to 112,800).

The median length of time a New Zealand resident spent in Australia in the May 2016 year was 7
days. This compares with a median length of absence of 15 days for all other countries.
For more detailed data on overseas trips by New Zealand residents, see the Excel tables in the
'Downloads' box.

Declining trend in monthly net gain of migrants
Seasonally adjusted permanent and long-term (PLT) migration figures showed a net gain (more
arrivals than departures) of 5,500 migrants in May 2016. Since reaching a peak of 6,200 in
November 2015, the seasonally adjusted net gain in migrants has averaged 5,700 a month.

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 While the monthly net gain of migrants is still positive and remains high relative to historic levels,
there is now a declining trend in the net gain.

There was a small seasonally adjusted net gain of 100 migrants from Australia in May 2016. This
continued the regular net gains from Australia during the last year, broken only by a small net
loss in April 2016.

Annual net gain of migrants now a record 68,400
Unadjusted figures showed a record net gain of 68,400 migrants in the May 2016 year. This is
the 22nd month in a row that the annual net gain in migrants has set a new record. Before this
period, the record was a net gain of 42,500 migrants in the year ended May 2003.
The countries that contributed the biggest net gains in migration in the year ended May 2016
were:
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India (12,300)
China (9,700)
the Philippines (5,100)
the United Kingdom (3,900).

Net migration is calculated from permanent and long-term arrivals less permanent and long-term
departures. The new record annual net gain in migrants in the May 2016 year, compared with the
May 2015 year, was driven primarily by more arrivals. Migrant arrivals were a record 124,800 in
the May 2016 year, up 9,700 (8 percent) from the May 2015 year. New Zealand citizens
returning to live in New Zealand accounted for one-quarter (30,700) of all migrant
arrivals. Migrant departures (56,400) fell slightly (down 900 or 2 percent) from the May 2015
year.

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 The current run of annual net gains in migration follows a period of net losses in late 2011 and
2012. The most-recent annual net loss of migrants was in the December 2012 year (1,200).
Since then, migrant arrivals have increased 39,600 and migrant departures have fallen 30,000,
to produce a record 68,400 net gain of migrants in the May 2016 year. The change in migrant
arrivals was primarily driven by more non-New Zealand citizens arriving, while the fall in migrant
departures was driven by fewer New Zealand citizens leaving.
The increase in migrant arrivals between the May 2015 year and May 2016 year was led by:
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Australia (up 1,800 to 25,700)
China (up 1,700 to 11,800)
South Africa (up 1,300 to 3,100)
the Philippines (up 1,000 to 5,500).

Migrant departures to Australia fell by 1,400 between the two May years, as fewer New Zealand
citizens chose to migrate to Australia. This led to a net gain of 1,700 migrants from Australia in
the May 2016 year. May was the eighth consecutive month to show an annual net gain.

PLT migrant arrivals by visa type
The biggest changes in migrant arrivals by visa type between the May years were:
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work visas (up 3,800 to 38,900)
student visas (up 2,100 to 27,800)
New Zealand and Australian citizens (up 1,700 to 36,300).

People arriving on work visas mostly came from the United Kingdom, France, Germany,
and Australia. The most-common occupations of migrants arriving on work visas in the latest
year (for those who specified their occupation on the arrival card) were hospitality workers, food
trade workers, and engineering professionals. People arriving on work visas include working
holidaymakers.
People arriving on student visas mostly came from India, China, and the Philippines.

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 PLT migration by New Zealand region
All regions had a net gain of international migrants in the May 2016 year, led by Auckland
(31,600) and Canterbury (7,000). The next-biggest net gains were in Wellington, Waikato, and
Bay of Plenty.
Over half of all arrivals who stated an address on their arrival card indicated they would reside in
Auckland.
Of those who stated an address on their departure card, 42 percent were migrating from
the Auckland region. In comparison, the Auckland region is home to 34 percent of New
Zealand's population (at 30 June 2015).
For more detailed data about PLT migration, see the Excel tables in the 'Downloads' box.

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 Definitions
See International Travel and Migration concepts – DataInfo+ for definitions of terms used in this
release.
The link to definitions is also available on the 'Related links' page of this release.

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 Related links
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Next release
Past releases
Data quality
Related information

Next release
International Travel and Migration: June 2016 will be released on 21 July 2016.
Subscribe to information releases, including this one, by completing the online subscription
form. You can also subscribe to receive International Visitor Arrivals to New Zealand, and
our weekly provisional international travel statistics.
The release calendar lists all information releases by date of release.

Past releases
International Travel and Migration has links to past releases.

Data quality
International Travel and Migration – DataInfo+
General methodology used to produce international travel and migration statistics.
International Travel and Migration concepts – DataInfo+
Definitions of terms used in this release.
Principles and protocols for producers of Tier 1 statistics
Statistics in this release are produced in accordance with the Official Statistics System principles
and protocols for producers of Tier 1 statistics for quality. They conform to the Statistics NZ
Methodological Standard for Reporting of Data Quality.

Related information
International travel and migration articles are occasional publications that provide analyses of
selected topics.

Information about international travel
International Visitor Arrivals to New Zealand contains detailed tables about the number and
characteristics of visitor arrivals. It is released two working days after each International Travel
and Migration information release.
Provisional international travel statistics provide the latest weekly and four-weekly figures for
visitor arrivals and New Zealand-resident traveller departures, including figures for 10 major
source and destination countries. These are released weekly, usually at 2pm on a Friday.

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 Statistics NZ's Tourism web page lists tourism-related data sources, such as the Accommodation
Survey and the Tourism Satellite Account.
Tourism research and data from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment includes
results from the International Visitor Survey, Domestic Travel Survey, and tourism forecasts.
Tourism New Zealand provides guides to New Zealand's key tourism markets, which include the
outlook for future months.
Cruise New Zealand data has figures on cruise ship visits and cruise passengers. This includes
passengers considered to be 'in transit' by the Immigration Act 2009, who are not included in
international travel and migration statistics.

Information about international migration
Statistics NZ's Migration web page lists migration-related data sources, such as the Longitudinal
Immigration Survey (2005–09).
Migration trends provides information from the Labour and Immigration Research Centre, part of
the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, which publishes research reports
and information about the immigration research programme.
Immigration New Zealand statistics include application and approval numbers for the
main immigration visa types.
Copyright and terms of use
Includes our copyright, attribution, and liability statements.

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 Data quality
See International Travel and Migration – DataInfo+ for the general methodology used to produce
international travel and migration statistics.
The link to methodology is also available on the 'Related links' page of this release.

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 Contacts
For media enquiries contact:
Melissa McKenzie
Christchurch 03 964 8700
Email: info@stats.govt.nz
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Christchurch 03 964 8700
Email: info@stats.govt.nz
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Email: info@stats.govt.nz
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 Tables
See the following Excel tables in the ‘Downloads’ box on this page. If you have problems viewing
the files, see opening files and PDFs.
1. International travel and migration, by direction and passenger type, actual counts
2. International travel and migration, by direction and passenger type, seasonally adjusted
and trend series
3. Overseas visitor arrivals, by country of last permanent residence
4. Overseas visitor arrivals, by travel purpose and country of last permanent residence
5. New Zealand-resident traveller departures, by country of main destination
6. Permanent and long-term arrivals, by country of last permanent residence
7. Permanent and long-term departures, by country of next permanent residence
8. Net permanent and long-term migration, by country of last/next permanent residence
9. Permanent and long-term migration, by citizenship, actual counts
10. Permanent and long-term migration, by citizenship, seasonally adjusted series
11. Permanent and long-term migration, by New Zealand region
12. Permanent and long-term arrivals, by visa type and country of last permanent residence

Access more data on Infoshare
Infoshare allows you to organise data in the way that best meets your needs. You can view the
resulting tables onscreen or download them.
Use Infoshare
For this release, select the following categories from the Infoshare homepage:
Subject category: Tourism
Group: International Travel and Migration

Next release
International Travel and Migration: June 2016 will be released on 21 July 2016.

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