A new record has been set as people leave New Zealand to live overseas in droves.
Stats NZ on Tuesday revealed a net migration loss of 52,500 New Zealand citizens in the year to March - made up of 25,800 arrivals and 78,200 departures.
That means, for every arrival of a New Zealand citizen there were three departures.
People aged 18 to 30 made up 39 percent of this loss. It's not uncommon, though, as those in their late teens and twenties are usually the biggest driver of net migration losses.
The data is based on provisional estimates. However, in comparison, before the current high levels, the record annual net migration loss of New Zealand citizens in the February 2012 year was 44,400.
"This is the first time the annual net migration loss of New Zealand citizens has exceeded 50,000," Stats NZ population indicators manager Tehseen Islam said.
"That equates to 1000 more New Zealand citizens departing long-term than arriving long-term each week."
Most of those jetting off weren't going far, though.
"Based on the latest estimates available, just over half of these migrant departures went to Australia," Islam said.
Changes in migration are typically due to a combination of factors, including immigration policy and relative economic and labour market conditions between New Zealand and the rest of the world.
But despite the record loss, data showed New Zealand saw an overall net migration gain of 111,100 in the year to March, driven by a net migration gain of 163,600 non-New Zealand citizens.
People aged 18 to 44 made up 68 percent of this gain, and most people came into the country from India, the Philippines, China and Fiji.
"While the current annual net migration gain of non-New Zealand citizens is below the peak in late-2023, it is still high by historical standards," Islam said.
It comes after a progressive relaxation of COVID-19-related border restrictions from early 2022, as well as changes to immigration settings.
However, in February the Government said it was planning changes to immigration settings, with Finance Minister Nicola Willis saying the door is currently open to too many low-skilled workers.
