Welcome to the Migration Data Explorer!
The Migration Data Explorer enables you to easily access migration data to address the overarching research themes and enduring questions that relate to migration in New Zealand.
The data explorer is:
- A single interface for migration statistics which provides access to migration data.
- A new conceptual framework for analysing migration trends based on determining migration's impact on the population and labour supply, which moves away from existing administrative metrics such as visa approval numbers.
Note: All numbers provided are subject to random rounding to base 3 by applying the same rule used by Stats NZ for Census data.
If you encounter any issues, please Contact Us so we can address the problem.
Getting started
Select an item from the Quick Select list above. This will direct you to the Data Explorer tab and pre-populate some inputs for you. If you have used the Data Explorer previously, your previous session will also be available in this list, so you can jump right back to what you were looking at last time.
Latest release notes: 08 April 2024
Potential release disruptions
We are currently upgrading the data system behind the Migration data explorer, due to this upgrade there could be disruptions to future updates. We are trying our best to ensure this transition runs smoothly, but please be aware that there might be delays in updating the Migration Data Explorer moving forward. Thank you for your patience and understanding
For previous release notes, please see the Release notes tab.
Release schedule
The data will generally be updated on the second Monday of each month. This is to ensure all the datasets the Data Explorer draws on are up-to-date with the previous month's data.
N.B. Releases that only update the data will not have an accompanying release note.
PLEASE NOTE: This app may time-out if left idle too long, which will cause the screen to grey-out. To use the app again, refresh the page. This will reset all previously-selected input options.
Here you will find the migration datasets available in this data explorer.
This includes the Population (number of migrants in New Zealand) and other Immigration New Zealand Statistics (visa applications and more).
To explore any of these datasets:
- Select the dataset of interest
- Choose the time period breakdown (Financial Year, Calendar Year or Monthly data). Some breakdowns may be unavailable for some datasets
- Select up to 4 variables of interest, e.g. select [Nationality] to get the data broken down by nationality
- Filters can be used to narrow down the data, e.g. for the Population dataset, add a filter for [Visa_Type] [CONTAINS] [Work] for just the migrants on a temporary work visa
The chart and table displays a preview of the most prominent figures. Unless the data selected is narrow in scope, not all values will be displayed. To add additional data to the chart, use the [Add more series] button above the chart. The full data is also available via the [Download Data as CSV] button.
You can save your query for re-use or to share, using the [Save/Load Query] button.
Random Rounding
All numbers provided are subject to random rounding to base 3 by applying the same rule used by Stats NZ for Census data.Random rounding occurs automatically on each number presented and could have a compounding effect if rounded numbers are summed together. We recommend, where possible, to output data at the aggregation level required for your needs, to minimize this effect.
Applications vs Applicants
Applications can include both Principal and Secondary Applicants. All datasets present the total number of Applicants (ie people) in the first instance. If you are interested in Applications you can access this by filtering [Applicant Type] [CONTAINS] [Principal Applicant].Population
This is a measure of the number of migrants in New Zealand, with breakdowns by visa type and demographic characteristics, at specific points in time.
The population count is taken on the last day of each month. All migrants who are in New Zealand with a valid visa on each population count date are counted as part of the population.
The residence count is only for recent residents. Those people who have been on a residence visa for more than 5 years are treated in the same way as citizens and are no longer counted.
Seasonal Adjustments
Seasonal decomposition is computed automatically using the
stl
algorithm in R, for every sub-series individually.
The decomposition is applied on the log-transformed data, as the seasonal effects are generally multiplicative. We also assume a fixed seasonal effect across the entire time-period. Note that filters can be used to narrow down the time-period to a specific window if required.
The trend provided is the loess smoothed trend after removal of the computed seasonal effects, and thus excludes both seasonal effects and any computed errors.
Seasonal decomposition may not be carried out in the following cases:
- There are a large number of sub-series, in which case the smaller sub-series are skipped for performance reasons.
- There are missing values or 0 counts in the data.
- There is not enough data (less than 2 years).
Immigration New Zealand Statistics
Some of the data provided in the Data Explorer tab were formerly available via the Immigration New Zealand Statistics page as CSV downloads.
Those CSV files were taken down over concerns that it contained information that potentially breached individuals' privacy. To address those concerns, all numbers provided are subject to random rounding to base 3 by applying the same rule used by Stats NZ for Census data.
More information about this procedure can be found on the Stats NZ website under the heading 'Census tables'.
Release notes
Contact Us
This page contains contact details for this specific website's content only. For more general MBIE contact information, please refer to the MBIE Contact Us page.
Questions, Concerns, Feedback
| Data Explorer Help, Migration Evidence and Insights |
| data_explorer_help@mbie.govt.nz |
| 15 Stout Street, Wellington 6011 |
| PO Box 1473, Wellington 6140 |