Net migration records smashed. Which NZ towns and cities will house new arrivals?

The data shows New Zealand had a record calendar year net migration gain of 126,000 for 2023.

Provisional estimates for the December 2023 year compared with the December 2022 year were:

• migrant arrivals: 254,700, up 114%

• migrant departures: 128,700, up 36%

• annual net migration: gain of 126,000, compared with a net gain of 24,800 in 2022

The 254,700 migrant arrivals and 128,700 migrant departures in the December 2023 year are, provisionally, the highest on record for an annual period.

By any measure, migration into NZ has exploded.

So the logical next question is...

Where are all the migrants going to live?

Handily, Stats NZ have published their forecasts for this too.

No surprises to see Auckland at the top of the list (new arrivals tend to settle first in country's larger cities before venturing further afield).

Hamilton takes out second spot in our Top 20 list, thanks in part to the Peacocke and Rototuna subdivisions, the Ruakura Superhub and investment in infrastructure that will benefit the city over the next 25+ years.