A record number of people left New Zealand in the year ending June, seeking better opportunities as unemployment rose, interest rates remained high and economic growth remained anemic, official data showed.
Data released by Statistics New Zealand on Tuesday showed that 131,200 people departed New Zealand in the year ended June 2024, provisionally the highest on record for an annual period. Around a third of these were headed to Australia.
While net migration, the number of those arriving minus those leaving, remains at high levels, economists expect this to wane as the number of foreign nationals wanting to move to New Zealand falls due to the softer economy.
The data showed that of those departing, 80,174 were citizens, which was almost double the number seen leaving before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Merrily Allen is planning her move with her partner and 14-year-old daughter in early 2025 to Hobart on the Australian island state of Tasmania.
“There is a lot of opportunity over there. They’re always looking for people in my profession,” said Allen, who works in dental administration.
“I’ve got a lot of friends that have gone (to Australia) … purely because of better work opportunities, better living. Australia seems to have it together.”
During the pandemic, encouraged by the then government’s handling of the outbreak, New Zealanders living overseas returned home in historically high numbers.
But the love affair with the country of 5.3 million is over for some. Economists say New Zealanders, frustrated by the cost of living, high interest rates and fewer job opportunities, are looking to Australia, the U.K. and elsewhere.
New Zealand’s economy is struggling after the central bank hiked cash rates by 521 basis points in its most aggressive tightening since the official cash rate was introduced in 1999. The economy’s annual growth was 0.2% in the first quarter, unemployment rose to 4.7% in the second quarter and inflation remained high at 3.3%.
Furthermore, Australia has been recruiting and offering relocation packages in areas such as nursing, policing and teaching, where there are skill shortages attracting New Zealanders who do not need visas to work there. At the same time, the New Zealand government has undertaken a significant downsizing of the country’s public service, leaving many skilled workers looking for jobs.
