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New Zealand had a net gain of 12,800 migrants in 12 months to August; August figures were highest in nearly four years

New Zealand had a net gain of 12,800 migrants in 12 months to August; August figures were highest in nearly four years
<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/">Image sourced from Shutterstock.com</a>

New Zealand had a seasonally adjusted net gain (more arrivals than departures) of 2100 migrants in August 2013, Statistics New Zealand said.

The last time net migration was this high was in October 2009 (2,100).

The latest monthly figures suggest net migration is currently running at an annual inflow of about 25,000 people.

The seasonally adjusted net loss of 1100 migrants to Australia in August 2013 was the smallest net loss since November 2009 (also 1,100). Net losses to Australia have fallen consistently since December 2012 (3,300), mainly due to fewer New Zealand citizens moving to Australia. 

In the August 2013 year, New Zealand had a net gain of 12,800 migrants, compared with a net loss of 4,100 in the previous year. The net loss of 27,300 migrants to Australia was well down from the record loss of 40,000 in the August 2012 year.

Canterbury gained 3,600 international migrants in the latest year, reversing net losses in the earthquake-affected August 2011 and 2012 years (2,300 and 1,300, respectively).

The continued strengthening inflow of migrants is likely to add further pressure to the already heated housing market.

Short-term overseas visitor arrivals to New Zealand numbered 189,300 in August 2013, the highest ever for an August month. The latest figure was up 6% from August 2012
(178,300).

Net long term migration

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21 Comments

LVR ratios are a drop in the ocean when these figures are on the other side of the ledger

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Exactly, without an immigrant law change most young NZers wil remain homeless. I doubt any of the current political parties will meet their requirements in the next 20 years - burning down the house attitudes call for that which is being witnessed  in Greece. Read more

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I'm not sure I get your angle Stephen? Are you saying we will have our own resurgence of neo-Nazis if we don't put a lid on immigration? Is that an admittance of a racist/xenophobic underbelly in this liberally thinking country?

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I believe percieved relative money/property deficits within society present a strong platform for xenophobic views to fester. There are many dubious politicians wishing to scratch that sore. And many more who will support their endeavours.

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Yeah well maybe, if xenophobic means concerned about your countryfolk or indeed yourself not being able to afford to house yourself because you can't compete with foreigners coming in and pushing the cost of purchasing a home way out of your reach, yep I guess it is. I however, do not see it as a reason not to be looking after our own before putting out the welcome mat

Xenophobia means irrational or unreasoned fear of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange. I am not altogether sure that fearing that you cannot house yourself is all that irrational

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Isn't xenophobia an irrational symptom possibly caused by the rational frustration of not getting to where one expects to be.

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Xenaphobia is a hatred or fear of Lucy Lawless ...

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That encompasses the whole oil exploration business now - even that outfit that Obama sees fit to spy on.

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I knew Ray-Gun that it wouldn't take long for you to start blasting away with your "NZ for New Zealanders" stance. 

There just has to be a thread that contains the trigger words "immigration", "xenophobia" and "racism"...and there you are...funny that!!

Both barrels blazing too...here's a suggestion: start a new party and enter next year's  elections - the 'NZ for New Zealots Party'

That way you can hook in your like-minded neo-Nazi boof heads.

I can't believe there are still dinosaurs like you around.

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ad ho·mi·nem [ad hom-uh-nuhm -nem, ahd‐] 
1.
appealing to one's prejudices, emotions, or special interests rather than to one's intellect or reason.
2.
attacking an opponent's character rather than answering his argument.

.............................

what is you argument? Open borders? Harcourts Shanghai? NZ doesn't have enough people? 

 

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 Is that an admittance of a racist/xenophobic underbelly in this liberally thinking country?

.........................

that is a loaded statement as it assumes being opposed to immigration is unjustified.

a phobia is usually defined as a persistent fear of an object or situation in which the sufferer commits to great lengths in avoiding, typically disproportional to the actual danger posed, often being recognized as irrational. -wikipedia.

The Savings working Group blamed high immigration swings (and tax breaks for property investors) for high house prices and

 

January 2011

“The big adverse gap in productivity between New Zealand and other countries opened up from the 1970s to the early 1990s. The policy choice that increased immigration – given the number of employers increasingly unable to pay First-World wages to the existing population and all the capital requirements that increasing populations involve – looks likely to have worked almost directly against the adjustment New Zealand needed to make and it might have been better off with a lower rate of net immigration. This adjustment would have involved a lower real interest rate (and cost of capital) and a lower real exchange rate, meaning a more favourable environment for raising the low level of productive capital per worker and labour productivity. The low level of capital per worker is a striking symptom of New Zealand’s economic challenge.

http://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/reviews-consultation/savingsworkinggroup/pdfs/swg-report-jan11.pdf

 

 

 

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It's pretty simple math SK.  If those 12,800 live four to household that's an extra 3200 houses needed. If they live two to a household that's 6,400 houses needed.

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I'm inclined to agree with UK economist John Kay in that immigrants are net beneficial to a society if they are immediately productive ( young , qualified , English fluent ) ....

 

... and that does appear to be the case with the newbies into Canterbury ....

 

So , excellent , welcome to NZ , ....  hope you like it here ....

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young , qualified , English fluent

 

Individuals with such qualifications flood the world's markets, but they fail to generate the economic  growth consistent with the lifestyles advertisements lead the owners to expect. Hence the high levels of debt required to settle targeted consumption..

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Paul krugman

Notes on Immigration

http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2006/03/27/notes-on-immigration/?_r=0

 

First, the benefits of immigration to the population already here are small.

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"The continued strengthening inflow of migrants is likely to add further pressure to the already heated housing market."

David, this statement is correct, but look at the tables and the bigger reason for the net gains is fewer kiwis leaving as opposed to more migrants coming in.

Hence, the housing impacts are not likely to be as significant as the scenario where the gains were to do far more with much larger surges of immigrants. So there is some subtlety behind the headline figures.

To me, the bigger question is what does this mean for the labour market, with fewer young kiwis able to migrate to Aus to find work in a weakening Aus labour market.  I will suggest (wait for wave of aggro hicksville red neck small minded bigoted property-biased replies....) that this further screws the lot of young kiwis.

But if you don't give a rat's ass beyond yourself and your precious property portfolio, then it's all good news. 

 

 

 

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Doesn't sound like Fletchers see any boom coming, just laid off over 60 workers:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11127828

 

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Fletcher's are repositioning for a surge of new build activity in Auckland now that existing house price increases make new build viable. Christchurch rebuild very, very slow to activate.

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ummmm, 25 of the 60 were in Auckland....

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NZ is a joke to foreign investers from Aisa. No capital gains tax, non resident restrictions, etc.

Xenophobic ?  No, just protecting the people that reside in the country from debt slavery.

Open your eyes to whats happening in the rest of the world.

 

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