A record number of immigrants accounted for more than 70 percent of population growth in New Zealand in the last year, according to new data from Stats NZ.
The data reveals that our country's population grew by 100,400 in the year ending June 2017 - and a whopping 72,300 of that was as a result of net migration.
- NZ 'could stall' if Winston Peters gets way on immigration
- Asians predicted to become NZ's second-largest ethnic group by 2038
The figure just beats the previous record set in the year ending May 2016, when a net gain of 68,400 non-New Zealand citizens migrated to our shores.
Again, Auckland has the most rapid growth, with 28,900 more people arriving in the region than leaving to take the population to 1.66 million - an overall rise of 2.6 percent.
The City of Sails was closely flanked in growth by the regions on either side of it; Waikato and Northland, whose populations both went up 2.4 percent.
Stats NZ's population statistics senior manager Peter Dolan says the growth in those regions is largely a response to the population growth going on in Auckland.
"We're seeing high growth in our big cities, but also in the areas surrounding them, driven by migration," he said.
All of the country's regions increased in population, except for the West Coast, which suffered a decrease in net migration. The population has now fallen from 33,100 in 2012 to 32,400 in 2017.
- Queenstown concerned about effect of immigration cuts on tourism
- Business and farming industries concerned by Labour victory
The latest data shows the major growth has happened in the 15-39-year-old age bracket, with about two-thirds of the gain coming from that demographic. Stats NZ says that has changed regional age structures, with five regions seeing a decrease in median age.
In the latest data, Tasman has the highest median age of all New Zealand's regions at 46.1 years, while Auckland has the lowest, with half the population under 33.9.
Newshub.
