Migration has become a hot topic over the last year, with a record high net migration gain. This large inflow of people into New Zealand has seen the population increase by 145,000 people once births and deaths are accounted for – slightly more than adding an additional Dunedin over the last year. Read

Infometrics has recently added a new section to our Regional Economic Profile which explores the Pacific Peoples population and their role in regional labour markets. This article outlines the growing significance of New Zealand’s Pacific Peoples population in the context of broader demographic shifts. Read

Last week Stats NZ published the latest subnational population estimates – an exciting time for those of us with a regional demographic focus. In theory, these annual population estimates should be boring – population should follow a fairly stable and predictable trend. However, our economic and demographic environment continues to be anything but boring. This article explores how New Zealand’s population growth has changed over the past year, before diving into the surprises of the subnational population estimates. Read

The population of New Zealand’s cities and towns are constantly changing in response to shifting age structures, fluctuations in net migration, the economic prospects of key industries, and intangible attractiveness. This article explores New Zealand’s larger towns and cities and looks at how they are projected to change. Read

Rapid jobs and population growth has been a lifeboat for New Zealand’s economic momentum as households grapple with cost-of-living challenges. Recent population data from Stats NZ indicates that the working-age (15-64) population grew 2.3%pa in the June 2023 quarter, the fastest rate since mid-2016, boosted by strong net migration. Read

Throughout 2021 and most of 2022, New Zealand experienced a net brain drain as migrant departures returned to normal but migrant arrivals were slower to recover. However, recent migration estimates show a rapid turnaround in net migration, with strong migrant inflows flipping the brain drain to a brain gain. Over the year to November 2022, 5,700 more people are estimated to have arrived in New Zealand than left. Read

The recent release of the 2022 subnational population estimates provides the latest insight into how local populations across New Zealand continue to change. Population growth has slowed across the country, with regional migration again a key contributor to local population changes. Read

The two drivers for population growth - natural increase and net migration - are changing. Here, we explore the implications of short and long term demographic trends on population growth around the regions over the next ten years. Read

Stats NZ released their latest subnational population estimates on Tuesday, providing us with our annual glimpse into regional population dynamics. In this article, we outline the key trends at a national level, and explore a few of the more interesting regional results. Read

We examine projected household growth around the regions, and ask whether we are currently building enough in the right places. Read