SYDNEY: New Zealand citizens leaving the country have hit the highest levels in 13 years, with more than a third of those emigrating aged under 30 years as unemployment rises and economic growth remains soft.
Data released by Statistics New Zealand on Friday showed 71,800 New Zealand citizens departed New Zealand in the year ended June 2025, up from 67,500 in the previous 12-month period and below the record 72,400 in the year ended February 2012.
New Zealand’s net migration, which is the number of those arriving minus those leaving, also fell with foreign nationals moving to the country of 5.3 million nearly halving from 2024.