"When Hayden Fisher moved to Sydney from Wellington a year ago, the financial gains were immediate. In New Zealand, Fisher was putting groceries on Afterpay and would regularly spend half of his wages on the weekly food shop. In Australia, he's spending about a quarter of that amount. Working in a bookshop, the 24-year-old says he has a path to economic stability, which felt impossible in Wellington."
"Fisher is one of tens of thousands of people choosing to leave New Zealand, as the country experiences record numbers of departures amid a weak economy. Provisional data from Stats NZ shows 73,900 New Zealand citizens departed in the year to August 2025, up from the previous record of 73,300. More than half 58% of all New Zealand citizens who left the country in 2024 moved to Australia, where average weekly incomes are higher and New Zealand citizens have work and residency rights."
Record numbers of New Zealand citizens are leaving, with 73,900 departures in the year to August 2025 and a 2024 net migration loss of about 30,000 to Australia. About 58% of departures in 2024 went to Australia, where higher average weekly incomes and work and residency rights attract migrants. Economic pressures such as high living costs, unaffordable rent and limited student prospects push people to emigrate. Many migrants move for established cultural reasons like overseas experience, and family members increasingly join them. Australian experts say recent arrivals help fill labour shortages in sectors including healthcare and construction.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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