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Immigration drives biggest ever rise in New Zealand population

Xinhua, August 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

Immigration drove a record rise in New Zealand's population in the year to June, the government's statistics agency said Friday.

New Zealand's population grew by 97,300, or 2.1 percent, the biggest annual rise ever, to 4.96 million in the year to June, according to Statistics New Zealand.

"Annual population growth over 2 percent is high by New Zealand standards," population statistics senior manager Jo-Anne Skinner said in a statement.

"The last time we experienced population growth over 2 percent was in 1974. And before that, at the peak of the baby boom in the 1950s and early 1960s."

The surge was driven by record levels of international migration, which exceeded natural increase.

Net migration was 69,100 over the year to June, with 125,100 migrant arrivals less 56,000 migrant departures.

Natural increase -- births minus deaths -- contributed the remaining 28,200.

Over the last decade, the average annual net migration had been 21,800 and average annual natural increase had been 32,300.

The large net inflow of migrants meant the younger working-age population (15 to 39 years) grew by 3.6 percent to 1.58 million, while the population aged 65 and over also grew by 3.6 percent to reach 700,000.

The opposition New Zealand First party called on the government to curb immigration so that public services could catch up with the level of growth.

More than half of immigrants ended up living in the biggest city of Auckland, home to a third of the population, adding to the city's housing crisis, stressed health services, overburdened schools and choked motorways, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said in a statement. Endit