British expats are leading the way to migrate to New Zealand, according to the latest population figures released by the government.
More than 5,600 Brits moved to New Zealand in June 2012 – followed by 5,200 Chinese and 5,200 Indians.
However, year-to-year, more people left the country than arrived, reports Statistics New Zealand.
Although June showed a net gain of 490 people, over the year, 3,191 left.
The monthly figure is the highest influx for 16 months and the highest net gain since February 2011.
The net loss of people to Australia was a record 39,800 – with 53,800 departing and 14,000 arriving between the two countries.
New Zealand’s total population is projected to reach 5 million in the mid 2020s and 6 million in 2061. Currently 4.4 million people live in New Zealand.
Population growth will slow as the population ages and the gap between the number of births and deaths narrows.
Figures also show that New Zealand’s population aged 65 years and over is projected to eclipse 1 million in the late 2020s, meaning that one in five New Zealanders will be aged 65 plus by the late 2020s.
By then, the number of people aged 65 and over will exceed the number of children aged under 15 years old.
Currently, there are 600,000 people aged over 65 and 900,000 children.
The figures also showed 151,100 short-stay visitors entered New Zealand in June 2012 – 4 % higher than June 2010, and 15% higher than June 2011.
More visitors arrived from Australia, up 15,900, and China, up 3,000, compared with June 2011, but fewer came from Malaysia, with numbers 1,300 down.
The increase from Australia reversed June 2011′s decrease, down 11,400 compared with June 2010, which was caused by ash cloud flight disruptions
For the year ending June 30, 2.6 million visitors arrived in New Zealand, up 5% from the June 2011. The largest increases were in visitors from Australia, China, France, and Malaysia. The largest decrease was in visitors from Japan.
