New Zealand is losing a large portion of its skilled professionals and fresh-faced graduates to a perception that more exciting, better paid opportunities lie across the ditch. In conversations with 10 of these Kiwis, reporter Eva de Jong asks, what is it about Australia’s allure? Is Australia really the land of better opportunities? A steady flow of young Kiwis are voting with their feet in answer to this question. This is not a new trend. Historically, in an economic downturn NZers have flown across the ditch. Most of those spoken to for this story are graduates or skilled workers who studied in NZ and have shifted to Australian cities with no intention of returning in the near future. Stats NZ’s most recent data shows 48,000 people left for Australia in the year ended June 2025 - that number includes both NZ citizens and non-NZ citizens. The annual record for migrant departures to Australia was 62,800 in the June 2012 year. There are variations in the yearly size of the numbers, but the trend stretching back decades is of Kiwis continuing to leave. There are two sides to this debate. Those who view the brain drain as an over-inflated, overly discussed issue that dominates headlines unnecessarily. They see the move as a rite of passage for young people, akin to heading on an overseas exchange. On the other side of the fence sit Kiwis concerned there is something deeper at play in the numbers exiting each year. As NZ heads into an election year, it’s worth examining the issue through the eyes of those choosing to leave. Promise of financial acceleration Every single one of the 10 Kiwis interviewed for this story cited higher salaries as a motivation for moving. Kelly McAree, 38, said that when she worked full time as a café manager in Auckland she was constantly in overdraft. A move to Melbourne has offered her financial security. Working the same job in Melbourne, she could now afford a pet dog, whereas previously she was struggling to cover just her own needs. “The hustle culture here is energising as opposed to NZ where it’s kind of miserable,” McAree says. “When you look at the gap between housing costs and stagnant wages back home versus the earning potential here, Australia is the financially responsible answer.” The Sydney Opera House and waterfront on a spellbinding day. Photo / Destination NSW Opportunities to save and buy a home one day are driving trans-Tasman movement. That’s the case for Aaliyah Fountain, who grew up in Kerikeri, and is now based in Perth and working as a FIFO Utility Attendant in the mines. She works a two-week on, one-week off roster, with her site being roughly 850 kilometres away, about an hour and 45-minute flight north of Perth. Site life is simple. Fountain works long shifts in up to 45C heat in the summer, and is surrounded by red dirt, trees and cows roaming around. There is also a gym and a swimming pool to cool off in on breaks. The crew working on-site are extremely close and have become a second family to Fountain. Aaliyah Fountain has traded life in the Bay of Islands for the lucrative benefits of FIFO mining work in Perth. Despite the demands of the work and the brutal heat, she sees the benefit of the potential for financial acceleration as outweighing any of the downsides to the lifestyle. Accommodation and meals are covered on-site which makes it easy to save if you are disciplined, and she now feels she has the chance to buy a house while still young, which felt out of reach back home. “I do remember getting my first pay cheque and genuinely thinking it must have been a mistake,” Fountain says. “I had never seen that kind of money before at my age.” There are also long blocks of time off. Fountain plans to fly to Bali next week and then use annual leave to spend a month travelling in Vietnam. In Melbourne’s oldest, bohemian suburb of Fitzroy, 41-year-old Kiwi Daniel Biddle finds life in the city is an introvert’s heaven. It’s easy to be anonymous, and there’s the sense...