Why Thousands of New Zealanders Are Leaving for AustralWhy Thousands of New Zealanders Are Leaving for Australiaia

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In 2025, a record, 73,900 ,Kiwis have left New Zealand, with over 58% moving to Australia, according to Stats NZ. This video, dives deep, into the ,reasons behind New Zealand’s migration ,crisis — from wage gaps and housing costs to the lure of higher pay and better living standards across the Tasman.

Transcript

00:00It's a quiet but steady exodus, one that tells a deeper story about a nation in economic flux.

00:06Across the Tasman Sea, flights from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch are increasingly full,

00:11not with tourists but with New Zealanders chasing opportunity.

00:15For tens of thousands of Kiwis, the dream of stability now lies across the ditch in Australia,

00:21where wages are higher, costs are lower and prospects seem brighter.

00:25In 2025, this movement has reached record-breaking levels.

00:30Stats NZ data reveals that nearly 73,900 New Zealand citizens left the country in the year to August,

00:40an all-time high surpassing the previous record of 73,300.

00:46What's more, 58% of them headed to Australia, a nation that has long been both rival and refuge.

00:53The pattern isn't new, but the scale and urgency are.

00:58Behind every statistic lies a story of families divided, careers reimagined,

01:04and a growing sense that New Zealand's once-stable economy is faltering.

01:13The economic gap between Australia and New Zealand has widened in recent years.

01:18According to World Bank data, Australia's GDP per capita sits at roughly 64,400 US dollars,

01:26while New Zealand's hovers near 48,000 US dollars, a gap of more than 30%.

01:32The disparity trickles down into everyday life.

01:36Wages, housing affordability, and even grocery bills.

01:40For workers like Hayden Fisher, a 24-year-old who left Wellington for Sydney in 2024,

01:47the difference was immediate.

01:49Back home, he was struggling to cover basic expenses,

01:52often using buy-now-pay-later services just to buy groceries.

01:58In Australia, working a similar job in retail,

02:01his food costs dropped by half,

02:04and saving money became possible for the first time.

02:07This experience isn't unique.

02:10Many middle-class and working New Zealanders are finding

02:13that the same job in Australia can pay 30-80% more,

02:17with added benefits such as cheaper fresh produce,

02:20lower income tax rates for middle earners,

02:23and greater public investment in infrastructure and services.

02:26New Zealand's migration flow has always leaned toward Australia,

02:30but 2024-2025 saw a sharp acceleration.

02:33StatsNZ recorded a net migration loss of 30,000 people to Australia in 2024,

02:41the highest in over a decade.

02:43Economists describe this as both a symptom and a signal,

02:47evidence of domestic economic weakness,

02:49and falling confidence in the local job market.

02:53Professor Alan Gamlin,

02:55director of the Migration Hub at the Australian National University,

02:58points out that while emigration to Australia has been a constant since the 1970s,

03:04this recent wave reflects structural issues.

03:08New Zealand's economy,

03:09highly dependent on agriculture and tourism,

03:12remains vulnerable to global shocks.

03:15The lingering after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,

03:19inflationary pressures,

03:20and high interest rates

03:22have all combined to create an economic downturn

03:25that the small island nation feels more acutely than its larger neighbor.

03:30Gamlin adds that this migration pattern,

03:33commonly dubbed brain drain,

03:35might be more accurately described as brain exchange.

03:39Many New Zealanders who leave return years later

03:42with international experience,

03:44savings,

03:45and global connections

03:46that can benefit the domestic economy.

03:48Still, in the short term,

03:50the exodus of skilled professionals poses serious challenges,

03:54particularly for sectors like healthcare,

03:56education,

03:57and engineering.

03:59The exodus isn't limited to any one demographic.

04:02It's a generational cross-section of New Zealand society,

04:05young graduates,

04:06skilled tradespeople,

04:08and even families with small children.

04:10From Australia's perspective,

04:12the inflow of Kiwis is a welcome development.

04:15Economists estimate

04:16that around 80% of New Zealand's diaspora

04:19now live in major Australian cities,

04:22with concentrations in Brisbane,

04:2421.4%,

04:25the Gold Coast,

04:2715.9%,

04:28Melbourne,

04:3019.3%,

04:31and Sydney,

04:3317.4%.

04:35Smaller but significant communities exist

04:38in Western Australia and South Australia,

04:41particularly in mining and resource hubs.

04:44New Zealanders make up

04:47one of the most integrated migrant groups in Australia.

04:51They are eligible to live and work without visas

04:53under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement.

04:57And since 2023,

04:59they have also regained easier pathways

05:01to Australian citizenship,

05:03a move that reversed years

05:05of restrictive immigration policy.

05:07For Australia,

05:08these migrants are a net fiscal positive.

05:10They contribute more in taxes

05:12than they consume in welfare or services,

05:15according to ANU's Migration Hub.

05:18They also help plug chronic labour shortages

05:20in healthcare,

05:21construction,

05:22hospitality,

05:23and aged care,

05:25industries facing demand surges

05:27due to an aging population

05:29and rapid urban growth.

05:32Yet for New Zealand,

05:33this migration wave comes at a steep cost.

05:35With one in six tertiary educated citizens

05:38now living abroad,

05:40policymakers warn of a deepening skills shortage.

05:43Hospitals in regional areas

05:45report vacancies in critical care and nursing roles,

05:48while construction firms face labour deficits

05:50that threaten to delay key housing projects.

05:53Economically,

05:55the outflow reduces consumer demand

05:57and productivity growth.

05:59Socially,

06:00it fuels a sense of pessimism

06:02among those who stay behind.

06:04The term hollowing out

06:07has become a common descriptor

06:08for cities like Wellington and Dunedin,

06:11where young professionals

06:12once formed the backbone of civic life.

06:16The government's challenge is multifaceted.

06:19Revive the economy,

06:21address the housing crisis,

06:23and make domestic wages competitive again.

06:27Yet with rising global costs,

06:30a shrinking tax base,

06:31and slow productivity growth,

06:33the path forward looks uncertain.

06:36For many migrants now settled in Australia,

06:38the idea of returning home feels remote.

06:42Hayden Fisher,

06:43now living comfortably in Sydney,

06:46says it would take major policy changes

06:48in housing and education

06:50for him to even consider moving back.

06:54Fulton echoes the sentiment,

06:56noting that while New Zealand remains beautiful,

06:59mountains can't pay the rent.

07:02Despite the nostalgia

07:03many feel for the land they left behind,

07:07few regret their decision.

07:10The story of 2025's Great Kiwi Exodus

07:13is one of the hard choices made

07:15in search of stability and dignity.

07:19It reflects not just an economic imbalance

07:21between two close neighbors,

07:23but a growing divide between aspiration

07:26and affordability in New Zealand itself.

07:29As planes continue to cross the Tasman each day,

07:33carrying more of New Zealand's talent abroad,

07:35the question remains,

07:37can the country reverse the tide,

07:39or has Australia permanently become

07:40the new land of promise

07:42for Kiwis seeking a better life?

07:43The story of 2025's Great Kiwi Exodus

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