International Visitor Arrivals to New Zealand is produced by Statistics New Zealand and sponsored by Tourism New Zealand. It is a monthly report that includes detailed tables and graphs of monthly and annual data showing the number and characteristics of visitor arrivals. Most of the data is presented by country, for a selection of major source countries of visitors to New Zealand.

Visitor arrival data comes from Statistics NZ's International Travel and Migration dataset. This dataset is derived from information contained in electronic records supplied by the New Zealand Customs Service, as well as from arrival and departure cards completed by passengers.

This report contains statistics on short-term overseas visitor arrivals, defined as overseas residents arriving in New Zealand for a stay of less than 12 months.

Available files

International Visitor Arrivals to New Zealand: March 2013   (PDF, 91 pages, 485kb)
International Visitor Arrivals to New Zealand: March 2013 – tables   (Excel, 56 sheets, 2.94mb)

Although the trend may have slowed up slightly, there is still a huge number of Kiwis moving to Australia and the people who will know the most about this phenomenon are the team at Ausmove, the number one company for moving people from New Zealand ‘across the ditch’. Now in their 21st year of moving New Zealanders’ personal effects to Australia from Auckland, Ausmove is a knowledgeable international moving company, 100% New Zealand owned and operated and are the only dedicated mover of Kiwi households shipping to Australia.

The team at Ausmove offer ‘stress-free’ moving and their experienced moving consultants will tailor a quote to individual needs and provide support to their clients throughout their move, offering a seamless personalised service from the initial enquiry, collection, sea freight, customs clearance and delivery to unpacking in a new address in Australia. They can also offer safe storage if it is required, with long or short term storage available when emigrating from New Zealand to Australia.

One of the most important aspects of moving from New Zealand to Australia is that of moving a motor vehicle. This is often overlooked by people when they are making their arrangements to move and it is probably actually more complicated than moving an entire household. To this end, it is good to note that Ausmove’s consultants are fully trained in car shipping to Australia logistics and are well versed in the procedures and requirements of Australian vehicle importation, making them a leader amongst car shipping companies to Australia.

The professional consultants at Ausmove will be able to give an estimate of duties/GST applicable on importing a car into Australia. They will also be able to guide customers through their import application with the Australian Department of Transport and Road Safety. They recommend that, prior to contacting them, departing customers may wish to view the Australian Department of Road Safety’s website at http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/ Once on the site, click on the ‘Vehicle Imports’ tab on the right of the page.
As one of Auckland’s leading movers to Australia, Ausmove can provide a full packing service to take the stress out of any move. However, if customers feel they would like to do it themselves, the team at Ausmove have a few tips to help people get started. They offer a very extensive and helpful list of tips to the first-time packer, and these can all be found on their website at http://www.ausmove.co.nz. They also offer information on insurance, and tips on moving pets to Australia.

Migrants to New Zealand may be eligible for an exemption in respect of the declaration of certain overseas income in New Zealand, and in respect of any liability to pay New Zealand tax on such income. Such migrants are called “transitional residents”.

Some general points are as follows:

• The exemption is available to new migrants and returning New Zealanders who have not been tax resident in New Zealand for at least 10 years.
• The exemption is available once in a lifetime.
• The maximum time period for  the exemption is 49 months.
• The exemption applies to most overseas income, except employment income and business income from personal services, relating to the post migration period.
• Working for families tax credits are not available to people taking advantage of the tax exemption. To see whether you will be better off with or without the tax exemption, you can use the calculators on the Inland Revenue Department's website, or talk to us.
• An application for working for families tax credits should only be made if you and your partner have decided to waive the exemption.
• If you have foreign losses, and in certain other circumstances, you may be better off waiving the exemption.
• If you are the settlor of a New Zealand foreign trust migrating to New Zealand this will affect the status of your trust. Taking advantage of the exemption will defer the loss of the tax advantages associated with having a foreign trust.

Please contact us in confidence if you need assistance with any aspect of these rules.

Kristina Andersen
Andersen Accountants Limited
Telephone: 09 3695198
Email: Kristina@andersen.co.nz
Website: www.andersen.co.nz

The number of visitor arrivals in December 2012 (364,000) was nearly unchanged from December 2011, but was up 5 percent from December 2010, Statistics New Zealand said today.

"Although there wasn't much change in volume from 2011, there were still differences by country," population statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said. "Compared with 2011, December 2012 visitor arrivals from China, Japan, and Germany increased, while arrivals from Australia, the United Kingdom, and Malaysia decreased."

The increase from China continued a growing number of monthly visitor arrivals from that country since May 2010. Japan's increase was a recovery from drops in 2011 after the Christchurch earthquake in February and Japan's earthquake and tsunami in March.

In the December 2012 year, 2.565 million visitors arrived in New Zealand, down 1 percent from 2011, when the Rugby World Cup was held. The largest increase by far was in visitors from China, but this was countered by decreases from the United Kingdom, France, and South Africa.

New Zealand residents departed on 216,800 overseas trips in December 2012. This was fewer than the 218,900 trips taken in December 2011, but was still more than the 206,000 trips in December 2010.

In the December 2012 year, New Zealand residents departed on 2.169 million overseas trips, up 4 percent from the previous year. The biggest increases were in trips to the United States (up 17,300) and Australia (up 15,600). Trips to the United States were helped by a favourable currency exchange rate.

Net migration zero 

New Zealand had seasonally adjusted net migration of zero in December 2012, when arrivals equalled departures. This is close to the average monthly net loss of 100 migrants over the past year. The seasonally adjusted net loss to Australia was 3,300 in December 2012, the same as the average net outflow to Australia per month since March 2011.

In the December 2012 year, New Zealand had a net loss of 1,200 migrants. There has been an annual net loss of migrants since the October 2011 year, peaking at 4,100 in the February and August 2012 years.

The net loss of migrants to Australia in the December 2012 year was 38,800, down from the record of 40,000 in the August 2012 year. The December 2012 annual figure resulted from 53,700 departures to Australia, offset by 14,900 arrivals. In both directions, most migrants were New Zealand citizens.

There were net gains of migrants from most other countries, led by the United Kingdom (5,700), China (5,200), and India (5,100).

See also:  International Travel and Migration: December 2012  –  Information release

Figures released by Statistics New Zealand today have confirmed that international visitor arrivals to New Zealand were up by 0.8 per cent for the month of November.

Total arrivals for the year ending November were marginally down by 0.7 per cent compared to the previous 12 months which included the significant RWC 2011 arrivals.

"Comparing total arrivals for year ending November 2012 against 2010 figures we see an increase of 1.7 per cent, signifying small underlying growth when we take out the impact of the RWC 2011," says Kevin Bowler, Chief Executive Tourism New Zealand.

"As we head into the summer high-season, it is encouraging to see that visitor arrivals have been maintained."

Australian visitor arrivals were up 2.5 per cent for the month while arrivals were up 1.0 per cent for the year.

Arrivals from Asia remain strong with China, Japan, Indonesia and Korea all showing strong growth. The increase in arrivals from Japan, up 3.3 per cent in November, indicates on-going recovery in the market.

Chinese arrivals grew 17.6 per cent for the month, seeing China overtake the United Kingdom to become New Zealand's second biggest source of visitors in the November 2012 year.

"It is now more than a year since we started seeing significant growth from the China market, and while we anticipate the growth to continue it is unlikely that we will see the huge percentages continue.

"Over the past year, this route has witnessed a flight frequency increase from three times weekly to daily.

The recent MOU signed with China Southern, and the daily flights between China and Auckland that started in November 2011, will help support this continued growth.

"China represents a huge growth opportunity for New Zealand. The challenge for the industry in 2013 will be to increase awareness of the range of activities and experiences - and encourage Chinese visitors to stay longer and do more while they are here."

Immigration Minister Nathan Guy has today launched the Refugee Resettlement Strategy, aimed at delivering better outcomes for refugees settling in New Zealand.

“New Zealand has a proud record of taking in refugees from around the world and giving them a new life here. However we want to do an even better job of helping them integrate into society, particularly in terms of finding employment and becoming self-sufficient,” says Mr Guy.

“Improving the outcomes for refugees was one of National’s manifesto commitments at the last election and I’m proud we are delivering on this.

“This is a whole of Government strategy with clear goals which include:

• Increasing the number of refugees in paid employment and reducing the number receiving unemployment-related benefits.
• Two-thirds of refugee school leavers to be achieving NCEA Level 2 after five years in the New Zealand education system.
• Increasing the number of refugee children who receive age-appropriate immunisations.
• Ensuring better use of GP services and greater access to mental health services.

“To achieve better outcomes, Immigration New Zealand will act as the lead agency for coordinating refugee services. They will work closely with refugees before they arrive here to assess their health, work-readiness and employment options, and this will be a greater focus of the reception programme as well.

“All of the research tells us that finding employment remains the biggest challenge for refugees settling here. We know that having a job helps to improve confidence, self-esteem, and to fit into New Zealand society,” says Mr Guy.

As part of the strategy, the Government has reaffirmed the six week induction programme for new refugees at the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre. The ageing buildings at the centre will be replaced over time.

New Zealand takes in around 750 refugees a year, and more than 33,000 refugees have come to New Zealand since the first young Polish refugees arrived in 1944.

The Strategy was developed with input from NGOs and refugee communities and will be implemented from July next year. A summary is available at http://www.ssnz.govt.nz/refugeestrategy.

Visitors to New Zealand decreased by 15 percent (down to 184,200) in October 2012, compared with October 2011, Statistics New Zealand said today.

"The decrease in October 2012 followed an increase in October 2011, when 53,200 visitors arrived for the Rugby World Cup," population statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said. "The latest month had a similar number of visits as October 2010."

Although the number of visits was similar in October 2010 and October 2012, where they came from differed. Compared with 2010, October 2012 had more arrivals from China (up 6,700), and fewer arrivals from the United Kingdom (down 2,000), Japan (down 1,700), and Korea (down 1,400).

In the October 2012 year, 2.563 million visitors arrived in New Zealand, down 1 percent from the October 2011 year, when the Rugby World Cup was held. The largest increases were in visitors from China and Australia, and the largest decreases from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and France.

New Zealand residents departed on 190,100 overseas trips in October 2012, compared with 188,100 in October 2011, and 180,600 in October 2010. The October 2011 figure was boosted by the later timing of school holidays that year.

In the October 2012 year, New Zealand residents departed on 2.173 million overseas trips, up 5 percent from the October 2011 year. The biggest increases were in trips to Australia (up 30,500) and the United States (up 18,300), the latter helped by a favourable currency exchange rate.

Net gain of 300 migrants in October

New Zealand had a seasonally adjusted net gain (more arrivals than departures) of 300 migrants in October 2012. There have been net gains in this series for four of the last six months. The seasonally adjusted net loss to Australia was 3,200 in October 2012. Net outflows to Australia have remained relatively stable since March 2011, averaging 3,300 per month.

In the October 2012 year, New Zealand had a net loss of 2,300 migrants. There has been an annual net loss of migrants since the October 2011 year.

The net loss of migrants to Australia in the October 2012 year was 39,300, down from the record of 40,000 in the August 2012 year. The October 2012 annual figure resulted from 53,700 departures to Australia, offset by 14,400 arrivals from Australia. In both directions, most migrants were New Zealand citizens.

There were net gains of migrants from most other countries, led by the United Kingdom (5,700), China (5,200), and India (5,000).

See also:  International Travel and Migration: October 2012  –  Information release

Mayor Bob Parker will officiate at his 50th Citizenship Ceremony tomorrow to welcome new citizens to Christchurch.

A double Citizenship Ceremony – where people pledge their allegiance to New Zealand and receive their certificate of citizenship from the Mayor – will be held tomorrow evening at the Civic Offices, with a total of 164 invited.

The Christchurch City Council runs regular Citizenship Ceremonies for the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), which manages the citizenship application process and invites new citizens to the ceremonies. New citizens may also receive their certificates directly from the DIA if they chose not to wait for a formal ceremony organised by the Council.

Mayor Parker says it is heartening to see the numbers of people wanting to become New Zealand citizens and make Christchurch home.

“These individuals and families are showing their commitment to the city post-earthquake. Some of our new Kiwis have lived here for many years, while for others it is a much shorter time, but all share the desire to now be recognised as New Zealand citizens.”

The two ceremonies being held this week will bring the number of people who have been invited to receive citizenship certificates in Christchurch this year to 1705. This is a huge increase on last year when only 518 people were invited.

“The earthquakes interrupted the usual number of ceremonies we could hold but even with that in mind, figures for this year are also up from 2009 and 2010. In 2010 there were 742 new citizens invited to the ceremonies and in 2009 there were 1069,” Mayor Parker says.

There are at least two further citizenship ceremonies planned for later this year.

A group of Afghan interpreters working for the New Zealand Defence Force and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Bamyan will be offered resettlement in New Zealand.

Defence Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman and Immigration Minister Nathan Guy announced today an assistance package for the 23 interpreters currently employed by the Provincial Reconstruction Team.

Cabinet approved the package on Tuesday and a process is underway to communicate the decision to the interpreters in Bamyan.

The package allows for interpreters to be resettled in New Zealand with their immediate dependents or opt for a three year salary payment so that they can relocate elsewhere in Afghanistan, should they wish to do so.

"The interpreters are playing a critical role in the operation of the PRT in Bamyan enabling the PRT to interact effectively with the local population," said Dr Coleman.

"Offering assistance to current interpreters employed by the government reflects the view that New Zealand should demonstrate a duty of care to this group who have served New Zealand with the work of the Provincial Reconstruction Team," he said.

Immigration Minister Nathan Guy says the interpreters are not "refugees" as defined by the Refugee Convention or have asylum seeker status, but will be granted residence under a discretion offered by Section 72 of the Immigration Act.

"Those who wish to come to New Zealand will be offered the same initial resettlement arrangements as offered under the annual refugee quota, including a six week resettlement programme at the Mangere Refugee Centre.

"They will not displace refugees offered places under our United Nations High Commissioners for Refugees (UNHCR) quota of 750 people per year," says Mr Guy.

Approximately 73 people would be offered places if all currently employed interpreters and their immediate dependents elected to take residency.

Citizenship ceremonies are held regularly at the Marlborough District Council chambers. At each ceremony, anywhere from ten to thirty people become New Zealand citizens.

Attending a public ceremony is an important step in the citizenship process; an opportunity to publicly declare allegiance to this country and to be welcomed into our local community.

Mayor Alistair Sowman, or his deputy Jenny Andrews, officiates and candidates affirm their allegiance to the Crown, promise to obey the laws of the land and to be good citizens.

Candidates are able to invite family and friends to attend the ceremony to witness the change of citizenship – from their country of birth to their country of choice.

Although about half of Marlborough’s new citizens still come from Britain, this region is also the new home to an increasingly diverse range of nationalities.

• Citizen application packs are available from the Council
• More information about citizenship: Department of Internal Affairs, Ph: 0800 22 51 511.

China overtook the United States to become the third largest source of visitors to New Zealand in the September 2012 year, Statistics New Zealand said today.

"Most of our visitors still come from Australia, with over a million Australians visiting in the last year," population statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said. "But the number of visitors from China increased to 186,800, fast approaching the 198,400 arrivals from the United Kingdom, our second largest source of visitors."

In the September 2012 month, 179,100 visitors arrived in New Zealand. This was above the 174,200 arrivals in September 2010, but lower than the 219,900 visitors in September 2011, when numbers were boosted by the Rugby World Cup.

New Zealand residents departed on 208,000 overseas trips in September 2012, compared with 167,400 in September 2011 and 210,000 in September 2010. The September 2011 figure was lower due to people staying home for the Rugby World Cup, and a change in the timing of school holidays.

In the September 2012 year, New Zealand residents departed on 2.171 million overseas trips, up 5 percent from the September 2011 year. The biggest increases were in trips to Australia (up 29,400) and the United States (up 19,800), the latter helped by a favourable currency exchange rate.

Net gain of 100 migrants in September

New Zealand had a seasonally adjusted net gain (more arrivals than departures) of 100 migrants in September 2012. There have been net gains in this series for four of the last seven months. The seasonally adjusted net loss to Australia was 3,200 in September 2012. Net outflows to Australia have remained relatively stable since March 2011, averaging 3,300 per month.  

In the September 2012 year, New Zealand had a net loss of 3,300 migrants. There has been an annual net loss of migrants since the October 2011 year.

The net loss of migrants to Australia in the September 2012 year was 39,500, down slightly on the record of 40,000 in the August 2012 year. The September 2012 annual figure resulted from 53,700 departures to Australia, offset by 14,200 arrivals from Australia. In both directions, most migrants were New Zealand citizens.

There were net gains of migrants from most other countries, led by the United Kingdom (5,500), China (5,200), and India (5,000).

See also:  International Travel and Migration: September 2012  –  Information release

The number of visitors to New Zealand in August 2012 (178,300) rose 1 percent from August 2011, Statistics New Zealand said today.

"More arrivals from Australia and China in August 2012 pushed visitor numbers even higher than in August 2011, when they were boosted by 4,400 arrivals for the Rugby World Cup," Population Statistics manager Andrea Blackburn said. "This August, more people from Australia visited friends and relatives, while more arrived from China for holidays."

In the August 2012 year, 2.636 million visitors arrived in New Zealand, up 5 percent from the August 2011 year. The 2012 yearly figure was boosted by the Rugby World Cup. The 2011 numbers were affected by the Christchurch earthquake in February and disruption to air travel in June because of ash from Chile's Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano.

New Zealand residents departed on 193,500 overseas trips in August 2012, an increase of 1 percent from the 191,000 trips taken in August 2011.

In the August 2012 year, New Zealand residents departed on 2.130 million overseas trips, up 1 percent from the August 2011 year. The biggest increase was in trips to the United States (up 14,500), helped by a favourable currency exchange rate.

Net loss of 300 migrants in August

New Zealand had a seasonally adjusted net loss (excess of departures over arrivals) of 300 migrants in August 2012. This is similar to the average net loss of 200 migrants over the last 7 months. The seasonally adjusted net loss to Australia was 3,400 in August 2012. Net outflows to Australia have remained relatively stable since March 2011, averaging 3,300.  

In the August 2012 year, New Zealand had a net loss of 4,100 migrants. There has been an annual net loss of migrants since the October 2011 year.

Arriving and departing migrants were mostly between 15 and 34 years old in the August 2012 year. In this age group, New Zealand gained 2,500 more migrants than it lost. There was also a net gain of migrants aged 60 and over (1,300). In contrast, there was a net loss of migrants aged under 15 years and aged 35 to 59 years (each 4,000).

The net loss of migrants to Australia in the August 2012 year was 40,000, the highest ever recorded. The August 2012 annual figure resulted from 53,900 departures to Australia (a record), offset by 13,900 arrivals from Australia. In both directions, most migrants were New Zealand citizens.

There were net gains of migrants from most other countries, led by the United Kingdom (5,400), China (5,200), and India (5,100).

See also:  International Travel and Migration: August 2012  –  Information release