Hamilton grows 1% in a year as overseas arrivals offset moves elsewhere in NZ

By the Explore Hamilton news desk · Published Thursday 12 November 2026

Hamilton's population rose by about 1,900 people, or 1%, to 193,300 in the year to 30 June 2026, according to new Stats NZ estimates highlighted by the city council.

Population

193,300 at 30 June 2026 (Stats NZ provisional estimate)

Growth

1.0%, second only to Auckland among New Zealand cities; the national rate was 0.7%

What drove it

+1,900 net overseas migration, +1,300 more births than deaths, −1,300 net moves to other parts of New Zealand

The three parts of the change pulled in different directions. 1,900 more people arrived from overseas to live in Hamilton than left to live in another country, and there were 1,300 more births than deaths.

Against that, 1,300 more people moved from Hamilton to other parts of New Zealand than moved here from elsewhere in the country, which Stats NZ says was the largest net internal migration loss of any city.

Hamilton’s overseas gain was the biggest of any city outside Auckland, and its natural increase was second only to Auckland’s. Among cities, only Auckland grew faster (1.2%), with Christchurch next at 0.9%. Six of New Zealand’s 13 cities, including Wellington and Dunedin, lost population over the year.

The neighbours show the opposite pattern

Waikato district gained 910 people through moves within New Zealand and grew by 1.4%, while Waipā district gained 660 that way and grew by 1.3%, the council says.

The longer view

Over the past ten years the city has gained more than 30,000 residents, with faster and slower years along the way. Outside Auckland it is the country’s third-largest city, behind Christchurch (422,400) and Wellington (208,300), and Stats NZ’s projections suggest it could take third place overall around the late 2030s.

Explore Hamilton news desk: news@explorehamilton.co.nz. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we’ll correct it.