1. Take up a job
A job offer or employer-linked visa can provide a route to work in New Zealand. The availability and terms of work depend on occupation, employer, visa rules and labour demand.
People movement · arrivals, departures and choices · 2006–2026
Why people move
to and from Aotearoa.
Migration is not one-way or one story. People arrive for work, study, family, safety and other opportunities; people leave for a similarly varied mix of reasons. The balance changes with economic conditions, borders, policy settings and personal circumstances.
Important label: The “10 reasons” below are common motivation and pathway categories to consider—not an official ranking. New Zealand’s migration statistics count and classify movements, but do not record a complete, comparable personal reason for every arrival and departure.
New Zealand people movement · 2006–2026Supplied illustration · figures, rankings and stated reasons have not been independently verified
The graphic’s migration values, trend labels and numbered reasons are supplied claims, not verified data or a measured ranking. Use the sourced timeline and unranked motivation categories below instead.
Twenty years of changing movement
The period includes changing migration demand, the COVID-19 border interruption, a sharp reopening rebound and renewed outward movement by New Zealand citizens. Net migration is arrivals minus departures; always check whether a figure refers to all migrants or to citizens only.
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2006–08Movement
Two-way flows shape population change
Arrivals and departures continued across permanent, long-term and temporary pathways. New Zealand citizen movements—particularly travel between New Zealand and Australia—could move differently from the overall migration balance.
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2009–13Economic conditionsMovement
Global recession and changing destinations
Employment prospects and family circumstances shifted as the global financial crisis affected New Zealand and other destinations. Annual net migration combines several different groups, so a single total cannot show why individuals moved.
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2014–19ArrivalsVisa settings
Higher migration gains and varied pathways
New Zealand experienced a period of stronger net migration, including work, study, family and returning-citizen movements. Changes in visa settings and labour demand formed part of the context; timing alone does not establish how much either caused the change.
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2020–21COVID-19Border restrictions
International movement sharply disrupted
Public-health measures and border restrictions reduced arrivals and departures. Temporary visa holders, international students, returning residents and New Zealand citizens faced different circumstances; the period is not directly comparable with ordinary border years.
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2022–23Reopening
Arrivals rebounded after borders reopened
International travel and migration resumed. Stats NZ reported a provisional record net migration gain of 135,500 in the year ended October 2023; provisional estimates can be revised, and that headline does not describe every group’s experience.
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2024–26Citizen departuresLabour market
Citizen departures and non-citizen arrivals diverge
New Zealand citizen departures increased while non-citizen migration continued to contribute to overall population change. Read the citizen and non-citizen series separately, and check the latest release date before quoting a current total.
Sources and definitions: Stats NZ migration statistics; International migration: October 2023; International migration: December 2025. Migration estimates are provisional and may be revised.
10 common reasons and pathways for coming to New Zealand
These categories describe established visa routes and commonly considered personal motivations. They are not ranked by prevalence: visa data records a pathway or visa type, which is not always the person’s only or main reason for moving.
2. Build a career or use specialist skills
Some people move to pursue professional development, experience or roles that match their skills. This is a motivation to investigate, not a reason measured for every migrant.
3. Study at a New Zealand institution
International students may choose New Zealand for a qualification, research or a period of study abroad. A student visa does not by itself indicate an intention to settle permanently.
4. Join a partner
Partner visa categories provide routes for people whose partner is a New Zealand citizen, resident or eligible visa holder.
5. Reunite with close family
Family categories enable eligible people to join relatives, subject to the specific visa requirements and places available.
6. Return to New Zealand
New Zealand citizens and residents may return after living, working or studying overseas. Their return contributes to arrivals, but may not be counted as an immigration visa approval.
7. Seek protection or resettlement
Refugees and people seeking protection may come through humanitarian and protection pathways. Safety is distinct from an elective work or study migration route.
8. Travel and work temporarily
Working-holiday schemes allow eligible young people from partner countries to travel and take temporary work under scheme conditions.
9. Establish or invest in a business
Business and investment routes can attract people bringing capital, business experience or plans to operate in New Zealand, subject to current policy settings.
10. Choose a different place to live
People may value New Zealand’s environment, community, safety or pace of life. These preferences are individual and are not captured as a standard reason in migration counts.
10 common reasons and factors for leaving New Zealand
These are factors to consider, not a ranked or fully measured list. Departure records show that someone left and may identify citizenship or destination; they generally do not establish the person’s motivation.
1. Take a job overseas
A job offer or demand for particular skills can draw people to another labour market. Compare wages, employment conditions, occupation and destination before attributing a move to one cause.
2. Seek career progression or experience
People may move for promotion, professional networks, larger markets or international experience. Administrative departure data does not measure these motivations.
3. Study or train overseas
Education, research, placements and specialist training can lead to a temporary or longer-term move.
4. Join a partner or family
Relationships, caregiving and family reunification can influence where people choose to live, including moves in either direction.
5. Return to a previous home country
Some temporary workers, students and other visa holders leave when their plans or visa period end. Departure totals do not reveal whether the move was planned or permanent.
6. A New Zealand citizen relocates abroad
Citizens may move to Australia or elsewhere for work, family, study or lifestyle. Track citizen flows separately from non-citizen migration.
7. Manage housing and living costs
Housing affordability and household expenses may feature in a person’s decision. The strength of this factor for departures needs direct survey evidence; movement counts alone cannot establish it.
8. Prefer another climate or lifestyle
Climate, recreation, urban scale and personal preferences can shape where people live. These are subjective considerations, not measured reasons in standard migration totals.
9. Retire or spend more time near family
Retirement plans, family networks and access to services can prompt a move, including returning to a country of origin or joining relatives abroad.
10. Respond to health, safety or life changes
Health needs, safety, caregiving and other major life events may affect an individual or household’s decision. These circumstances are diverse and are not captured as a single category.
How to read movement data fairly
Separate arrivals, departures and net migration
Net migration is a balance, not a count of everyone who arrived. Similar net totals can result from very different arrival and departure volumes.
Separate citizens and non-citizens
Citizen departures can rise while non-citizen arrivals also rise. These flows have different pathways and implications for population change.
Check the measure and revision status
Stats NZ uses an outcomes-based measure of long-term migration. Estimates are provisional and can change as more information becomes available; older measures may not be directly comparable.
Do not infer motives from a visa or destination
A visa category indicates an administrative pathway, not every reason a person moved. A destination or departure count is not evidence that a particular policy caused someone to leave.
Sources and further reading
Use these official sources to check migration definitions, observed flows and visa pathways. The motivation lists above are editorial categories, not results of an official top-ten survey.
- Stats NZ migration statistics and definitions
- Stats NZ, International migration: December 2025
- Stats NZ, International migration: October 2023
- MBIE Immigration New Zealand Migration Data Explorer
- Immigration New Zealand work visas
- Immigration New Zealand student visas
- Immigration New Zealand partner visas
- Related: jobs, unemployment and migration context
A genuine ranked list would require a representative survey asking movers why they moved, with comparable questions for arrivals and departures over time. The available administrative flow data does not provide that ranking.