Districts buck migration trend

Two South Canterbury districts – Waimate and Mackenzie – are bucking the national, permanent and long-term migration trend.

According to Statistics NZ, during April, Mackenzie saw two arrivals and six departures, while Waimate saw no arrivals and two departures, unlike the rest of the nation including Timaru, where the arrival numbers exceed departures.

Statistical analyst Megan Mur- phy said fewer Kiwis were leaving New Zealand for Australia now than a year ago.

‘‘There are fewer departures potentially because of the Australian economy, but other factors come into it as well,’’ Murphy said.

According to numbers released by Statistics New Zealand, in April last year Timaru saw 37 arrivals and 40 departures.

This year in April, Timaru saw a rise in net migration with 48 arrivals and 30 departures.

In Ashburton last month, there were 29 arrivals and 17 departures,

According to the release, New Zealand had a seasonally adjusted net gain (more arrivals than departures) of 4100 migrants in April 2014 – the second-highest gain on record.

The highest was in February 2003 (4700), when a large number of overseas students arrived to study at universities in New Zealand.

Net migration has been positive and mostly increasing since September 2012.

The increase since then was mainly due to fewer New Zealand citizens leaving for Australia, as well as more non-New Zealand citizens arriving.

The seasonally adjusted net loss of 200 migrants to Australia last month was the lowest-ever for the series, which began in 1996.