Number of migrating Kiwis is not growing, says PM, but thousands are still leaving
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and media outlets are debating migration statistics, specifically the high number of Kiwis moving to Australia. While the government highlights a 14% increase in returning citizens, net migration remains a significant loss for New Zealand.
Why it matters
Migration trends are a key indicator of economic health and public sentiment regarding domestic policy and housing affordability.
The number of New Zealanders returning from Australia has increased 14 percent in the past year, but the number heading across the ditch is more than double the number returning home.
In the year ended December 2025, official figures from Statistics New Zealand show 19,000 Kiwis made the return home from Australia while 47,500 departed.
While the number of departures to Australia was slightly down by 1 percent, net migration - the number of arrivals minus the number of departures - is a significant loss of 28,500 Kiwis to our nearest neighbour in just a year.
All of these numbers were the subject of debate on Christopher Luxon's regular Monday interview slot on Morning Report .
Luxon had been talking about the changes National was proposing , which he says would make it easier for first home buyers to purchase their own home.
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