WELLINGTON, Dec 14 (NNN-AGENCIES) – The number of people departing New Zealand exceeded the number of arrivals every month, since the introduction of full border restrictions in mid-March 2020, New Zealand’s statistics department, Stats NZ, said today.
Arrivals and departures include all people crossing the border, either for short-term trips or longer term, according to Stats NZ.
From Apr, 2020 (the first full month under border restrictions) to Oct, 2020, there were 119,400 departures, and 65,900 arrivals. In the same period in 2019, there were 3.86 million departures and 3.82 million arrivals, statistics showed.
“COVID-19-related border restrictions and disruptions to flight availability, didn’t halt travel completely, and people have been able to depart New Zealand, if they could access a commercial or repatriation flight,” population indicators manager, Tehseen Islam said.
From Apr, 2020 to Oct, 2020, there was an average of 600 departures each day, Islam said.
“People have also been able to arrive in New Zealand, provided they could get a flight and meet entry criteria at the border,” he said.
From Apr to Oct, 2020, there was an average of 300 arrivals each day. This included New Zealand citizens and permanent residents, their partners and dependents, essential workers, and other exempt travellers, Islam said.
In the seven months from Apr to Oct, 2020, net migration was provisionally estimated at 3,700, well below levels in previous years. This was made up of a gain of 9,000 New Zealand citizens, and a loss of 5,200 non-New Zealand citizens, he said.
“The provisional net gain of New Zealand citizens continues a reversal of the long-standing historical pattern, where more New Zealand citizens departed than arrived,” Islam added.
Annual net migration is provisionally estimated at 59,500 in the year ended Oct, 2020, with 55,800 of this in the five months leading up to travel and border restrictions in Mar, 2020, statistics showed.– NNN-AGENCIES
