That led to a record net migration loss of 47,900 Kiwis, exceeding the previous record of 47,100 in the July 2025 year.
For New Zealand citizens, the net migration loss of 47,900 in August 2025 is compared with a net migration loss of 44,900 in the August 2024 year.
Compared to a year earlier, overall migrant arrivals continued to fall at 138,600, down 16%.
Migrant departures were up 13% at 127,900.
The past two years have seen a massive drop-off in net migration numbers as large numbers of New Zealand citizens have departed and fewer migrants have arrived.
Annual migrant arrivals peaked at 234,800 in the year ended October 2023.
Annual net migration also peaked in the year ended October 2023, with a gain of 135,500.
The long-term average for August years (2002 to 2019) before Covid-19 is 119,900 migrant arrivals, 91,700 migrant departures, and a net migration gain of 28,200, Stats NZ said.
On a monthly basis, migrant arrivals were down 4% in August at 10,500.
Migrant departures were flat at 8900 (down less than 1%).
Monthly net migration represented a gain of 1600 compared with a gain of 2000 in July.
New Zealand’s weak labour market had driven migrant departures higher, said ASB senior economist Jane Turner.
It was now at a level consistent with the relative outperformance by Australia’s labour market (as measured by relative unemployment rates), she said.
“Meanwhile, we continue to see a fall in migrant arrivals as employment prospects in New Zealand remain weak relative to other migration destinations.”
The sharp decline in net immigration over the past two years had been a strong headwind for retail spending and for the demand for new housing construction, Turner said.
“We expect this trend will be slow to turn around and any lift in net immigration may be fairly limited by historical standards,” she said.
Citizens of India, China, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka drove net migration gains in the August 2025 year.
For migrant arrivals the largest groups were citizens from New Zealand at 26,000, followed by India (18,900), China (18,400), the Philippines (10,700) and Sri Lanka (6100).
For migrant departures the largest groups were citizens of New Zealand at 73,900, China: (7600), India (5500) and the UK (5100).
More citizens of the UK left the country than arrived in the year to 2025.
Liam Dann is business editor-at-large for the New Zealand Herald. He is a senior writer and columnist, and also presents and produces videos and podcasts. He joined the Herald in 2003.
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