A total of 78 principal Tongan applicants were successful in the New Zealand government's Pacific immigration quota ballot for 2013, Angie Enoka, of New Zealand Immigration said today.

"That amounts to 249 people with their families," she said.

The quota for Tongan immigration to New Zealand is 250 for the year.

The quotas of Samoa, Tuvalu and Kiribati were also listed. Samoa stood out with a delegated quota of 1,100, and over 500 Samoans were selected for immigration to New Zealand.

Kiribati was delegated a quota of 75, with a selection of 35 successful applicants. Tuvalu was also delegated a quota of 75, with 28 successful applicants.

According to the New Zealand government, Tongans are the third largest Pacific Islander ethnic group residing in New Zealand. Samoans were the largest with Cook Islanders second. In 2006, there were over 50,000 Tongans residing in New Zealand.

In 2006, the total population of ethnic Pacific Islanders in New Zealand was stated at over 266,000. Samoans made up almost half of this population with over 130,000 people. The population of New Zealand is currently over 4.4 million.