New Zealand has only 4.3 million people, so it doesn’t take much of a boost in immigration numbers for it to seem the country will soon be full.
A strong economy is being credited with attracting the 3,000 immigrants who arrived in October, up 13% on the number who arrived in the same month last year.
This is the highest rate of immigration for more than a decade, and on an annual basis it will mean 17,500 new New Zealanders this year, well over the annual average of 11,300 over the last 20 years.
At the same time, the vibrant economy means that fewer Kiwis are leaving to seek work in Australia.
