The new arrivals come as higher birth rates and fewer deaths among non-European New Zealanders change population ethnicity.
Massey University sociologist Paul Spoonley said European Kiwis would lose majority status in Auckland in the next few years to the combined populations of Asians, Maori and Pacific Islanders.
The latest Census shows the Asian population of 471,711 had jumped from 6.6 per cent of the total in 2001 to 11.8 per cent; nearly one in four in Auckland were of Asian descent.
Dr Spoonley said Asians would outnumber Maori to become the second-biggest ethnic group in New Zealand in the next decade.
European New Zealand births are expected to fall from 43,600 in 2011 to 40,800 by 2026, according to Statistics New Zealand projections.
An ageing population will also see deaths of European Kiwis rise from 25,400 to 30,700, while births of Maori, Asian and Pacific babies will increase from 36,500 to 40,900.
The younger age of immigrants explains the higher birth rates when compared to European Kiwis. Additional reporting: Harkanwal Singh