Statistics New Zealand data released yesterday showed both New Zealand and Otago experienced record levels of net migration in the year to January.
In New Zealand 71,305 more migrants arrived than left and in Otago that figure was 2164.
Otago, like the rest of the country, continues to lag behind Auckland, which attracted almost half the migrants coming to New Zealand, but outperformed other South Island regions when it came to the rate at which migration to the region grew.
Net migration to Otago increased by 44% on the previous year to January, while shrinking in both Canterbury and Southland in that period.
Australia was by far the most common country of origin for Otago migrants, with a net influx of 576, followed by China, with 181.
Mr McGowan said coming after news of the proposed closure of Dunedin's Cadbury factory, the statistics were some much-needed good news.
``Overall, what it says is there is confidence in Otago as a region,'' Mr McGowan said.
Otago's lifestyle offering played a big factor in people choosing to move here and he believed the election of Donald Trump as president of the United States would see a boosting of migrants from the US.
``At the moment interest [from US citizens] is up and now the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment is looking at how do we process [applications] fast enough to get them into the country.''
He believed that, as in the rest of New Zealand, most migrants coming from Australia were New Zealand citizens coming back home.
It was difficult to pin down where in Otago migrants were moving to, but Queenstown and Central Otago were definitely attracting many.
Dunedin always attracted migrants who worked in the education sector and the city needed to continue to push itself as a top location for workers in the education and information technology sectors.
The Otago statistics provided by Statistics New Zealand did not include the more than 100 Syrian refugees relocated to Dunedin last year.
This was likely because Syrian refugees spent six weeks at Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre in Auckland when they first arrived and Statistics New Zealand recorded migration statistics using passenger arrival cards filled in when migrants arrived at their point of entry.
