Auckland's population has fallen, losing people overseas and to internal migration.
Stats NZ population data released today showed New Zealand's population grew in the year to June 30, but only slightly.
But a majority of cities experienced population loss.
The data arrived soon after council elections and at a time when many businesses were already concerned about a labour shortage as pent-up Kiwis started moving overseas.
Auckland lost 5,900 people to net international migration in the June 2022 year.
Downtown Auckland and the innermost suburbs from Westmere to Newmarket in the Waitematā ward had a population decline of 5.8 per cent, the biggest loss in the country.
Of the 21 Auckland local board areas, 12 experienced net losses from both international and internal migration.
There were 12,000 more births than deaths in Auckland but that was not enough to compensate for the 15,000 lost to net internal migration.
Rodney district and Papakura on the city's periphery had population growth in the year, as did some south Auckland neighbourhoods in Manurewa.
The city's northwest and northern fringe from Henderson and Massey to the East Coast Bays had population growth, but of less than one per cent.
Christchurch and Wellington also had net losses from both international migration and internal migration:
Christchurch lost 900 people to overseas migration and 1,200 people to domestic migration.
But the nearby Selwyn district burgeoned, with population growth of 4.8 per cent, the country's highest rate.
Wellington lost 1,600 people to emigration and 1,700 to internal migration.
Dunedin's population declined but Central Otago's grew by 2.7 per cent.
Stats NZ said nationally, natural increase was the lowest since World War II.
Natural increase was 24,100 and the country's net international migration loss was 11,500.
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