WELLINGTON, April 23 -- New Zealand saw its highest net gain in migrants a decade in the year ending March, led by arrivals from China, the New Zealand government statistics agency announced Wednesday.

New Zealand had 3,800 more migrants arriving than departing last month, the second-highest gain on record after 4,700 recorded in February 2003, when a large number of overseas students arrived to study at New Zealand universities, said a statement from Statistics New Zealand.

The increasing trend since September 2012 had been mainly due to fewer New Zealand citizens leaving for Australia, as well as more non-New Zealand citizens arriving, said the statement

In the March 2014 year, migrant arrivals were up 14 percent to 98,000 and departures were down 21 percent to 66,100, resulting in a net gain of 31,900 migrants, the highest gain since 33,300 was recorded in the January 2004 year.

The highest net gain ever recorded was 42,500 in the May 2003 year.

In the March year, New Zealand had a net loss of 12,900 migrants to Australia, well down from 35,500 a year earlier, while Chinese immigrants led the net gains with 6,200, followed by India at 6,100 and the United Kingdom at 5,800.