{"id":166067,"date":"2025-12-03T13:25:08","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T13:25:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/166067\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T13:25:08","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T13:25:08","slug":"new-zealands-australian-exodus-by-the-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/166067\/","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand\u2019s Australian exodus, by the numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It seems like everyone\u2019s leaving for Australia, and these numbers point to why.<\/p>\n<p>Oi, you there. Are you <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/the-bulletin\/14-11-2025\/nzs-growing-exodus-is-prompting-a-call-for-a-rethink-on-population\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">moving<\/a> to Australia? Ever fantasised about \u201chandles\u201d of lager and time-and-a-half on weekends? Ever done this while grimly wiping away window condensation in your expensive rental? Record numbers of New Zealanders are upping sticks and boosting across the Tasman. More than the entire population of Whanganui left Aotearoa for Australia between March 2024 and March 2025. The numbers are enough to make international headlines and cause domestic concern about stagnating population figures. But what exactly are those numbers?<\/p>\n<p>47,700<\/p>\n<p>The number of migrant departures from Aotearoa to Australia <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stats.govt.nz\/information-releases\/international-migration-september-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">in the year to March 2025<\/a>; 28,500 of them were New Zealand citizens. Another 30,000 moved to Australia the year prior.<\/p>\n<p>AU$2,010<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abs.gov.au\/statistics\/labour\/earnings-and-working-conditions\/average-weekly-earnings-australia\/latest-release\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">average weekly earnings<\/a> for a full-time adult in Australia (seasonally adjusted) as of May 2025. Incomes had seen an annual increase of 4.5% since May 2024, though women in the private sector earn notably less, around AU$1,777.80. Men working in mining earned the most on average, pulling in AU$3,257.80 a week. Over here the average weekly wage is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stats.govt.nz\/information-releases\/labour-market-statistics-income-june-2025-quarter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">$1,380<\/a>, up 2.8% on last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>3.2%<\/p>\n<p>Australia\u2019s inflation rate. Ours is 3%, but we\u2019re enjoying a combination of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/business\/23-10-2025\/economic-miracle-we-have-both-high-inflation-and-shite-growth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">high inflation and shite growth<\/a>\u201d at the same time.<\/p>\n<p>24,504<\/p>\n<p>The number of people who moved to Australia <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-australia-35467125\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">in 2015<\/a>. In that year, more people moved from Australia to New Zealand than vice versa for the first time since 1991; two thirds of them were returning home.<\/p>\n<p>AU$18,000<\/p>\n<p>Australia\u2019s threshold for <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/26-04-2023\/new-zealands-unfair-tax-system-in-three-depressing-graphs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">tax-free<\/a> earnings. <\/p>\n<p>NZ$0.01<\/p>\n<p>The minimum required earnings for taxation here in New Zealand. The lowest income bracket applies to those earning up to $15,600 and is taxed at 10.5%. That\u2019s higher than the average effective tax rate paid by <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/26-04-2023\/new-zealands-unfair-tax-system-in-three-depressing-graphs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New Zealand\u2019s wealthiest families <\/a>between 2017 and 2021, which was 9.5%.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>45%<\/p>\n<p>Australia\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/26-04-2023\/new-zealands-unfair-tax-system-in-three-depressing-graphs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">top tax rate<\/a>, applied to income earned over AU$180,000. New Zealand\u2019s is 39% and starts at NZ$180,001.<\/p>\n<p>150%<\/p>\n<p>The standard overtime rate for wage workers in Australia, this applies to the first two hours, after which you\u2019ll get two times your usual hourly rate. Rostered on for a Sunday shift? You\u2019ll get paid extra then, too. And public holidays. New Zealand has no legislation requiring employers to compensate workers at a higher rate for overtime.<\/p>\n<p>3:5<\/p>\n<p>Hemsworth brothers vs Barrett brothers.<\/p>\n<p>1995<\/p>\n<p>The year Christopher Luxon moved from Wellington to Sydney.<\/p>\n<p>$85,000-$90,000<\/p>\n<p>The average salary received by a registered nurse in Australia according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seek.com.au\/career-advice\/role\/registered-nurse\/salary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Seek<\/a>. Last year alone, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.1news.co.nz\/2024\/07\/17\/its-just-better-why-kiwi-nurses-are-moving-to-australia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">10,620<\/a> New Zealand nurses registered to work there. In October 36,000 nurses working for Te Whatu Ora <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/society\/22-10-2025\/brace-for-impact-here-comes-the-mega-strike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">went on strike<\/a> over patient safety, staffing and pay.<\/p>\n<p>212<\/p>\n<p>The number of officers who accepted jobs in Australia and resigned from NZ Police between January 2023 and the end of April 2025. \u201cIt is not possible to know exactly how many of those officers moved to Australia, only the number who resigned after requesting a vetting request via an Australian Police agency,\u201d a spokesperson told The Spinoff. <\/p>\n<p>The organisation <a href=\"https:\/\/www.1news.co.nz\/2025\/11\/18\/police-lured-to-australia-in-hundreds-recruiters-redouble-efforts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">told 1News <\/a>that it had fielded \u201cmore than 670 vetting requests from Australian jurisdictions\u201d in two years. Over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.1news.co.nz\/2024\/07\/16\/more-than-300-nz-officers-apply-to-work-with-queensland-police\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">300<\/a> cops had applied to work in Queensland and 50-60 cops had gone to the Northern Territory, where the pay rate for new constables is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.1news.co.nz\/2025\/11\/18\/police-lured-to-australia-in-hundreds-recruiters-redouble-efforts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">about $140,000<\/a>\u201d with a housing allowance or rent-free accommodation to sweeten the deal.<\/p>\n<p>34\u00b0<\/p>\n<p>The high in Darwin this week.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"An engine reaching 30 RPMs.\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\"\/>Everyone\u2019s chasing good numbers. (Image: Mad Max Fury Road)<br \/>\n0.9%<\/p>\n<p>How much <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/24-11-2025\/surviving-new-zealands-economy-feels-like-living-in-a-dying-marriage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">New Zealand\u2019s GDP shrank<\/a> in the June quarter. Manufacturing fell 3.5% and construction was down 1.8%. Australia\u2019s GDP grew by 0.6% during the same quarter, up 1.3% on the year prior.<\/p>\n<p>12%<\/p>\n<p>The minimum employer contribution to the Australian Superannuation scheme. \u201cWe can have what Australia\u2019s got,\u201d Luxon <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stuff.co.nz\/politics\/360896120\/luxon-makes-election-pledge-kiwisaver-contribution-boost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">said<\/a> this week. National has promised that if re-elected next year it would up the default Kiwisaver contribution to 6% for both employees and employers. In July it cut the <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/26-11-2025\/new-zealand-has-a-boomer-problem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">government\u2019s contribution<\/a> from NZ$521.43 to a maximum of NZ$260.72 for those earning NZ$180,000 or less.<\/p>\n<p>4.4%<\/p>\n<p>The unemployment rate in Australia. Ours is 5.3%.<\/p>\n<p>AU$0<\/p>\n<p>How much a recently arrived New Zealander would likely get from the Australian jobseeker benefit. Only Australian residents are eligible and those who are can receive up to AU$424.95 a week. Over here, depending on your circumstances, you\u2019d receive between $314.72 and $361.3 from our Jobseeker benefit. Unless you\u2019re 18 or 19 and your parents\u2019 collective income is more than $65,000, in which case you\u2019re one of the <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/07-10-2025\/by-the-numbers-the-governments-tougher-benefit-rules-for-young-people\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">4,300 young people no longer entitled to that support<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>67<\/p>\n<p>The age at which Australians qualify for the means-tested but \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/retirement.govt.nz\/news\/latest-news\/who-does-it-better-comparing-the-australian-and-new-zealand-retirement-income-systems#:~:text=Table_title:%20Australian%20Superannuation%20and%20KiwiSaver%20Table_content:%20header:,contributions%2C%20up%20to%20$521.43%20per%20year%20%7C\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">generally tax-free<\/a>\u201d old age pension (after 10 years of residency). Here the threshold is 65. NZ Super is universal and $24.7bn was <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/17-11-2025\/perpetually-broke-how-new-zealand-could-eventually-afford-its-future\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">budgeted to cover it <\/a>this year; the figure is \u201cpredicted to double in the coming years as New Zealand population ages,\u201d wrote Eric Frykberg in his Spinoff Cover Story \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/17-11-2025\/perpetually-broke-how-new-zealand-could-eventually-afford-its-future\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Perpetually broke: How New Zealand could (eventually) afford its future<\/a>\u201d. By 2061 we could be allocating <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/26-11-2025\/new-zealand-has-a-boomer-problem\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">half our GDP to superannuation payments<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>AU$10.36<\/p>\n<p>How much you\u2019ll pay full-price for a block of Whittaker\u2019s Creamy Milk at Coles.<\/p>\n<p>AU$23.60<\/p>\n<p>How much Coles is currently charging for a 200g jar of Moccona. It\u2019s $26.99 here (when not on special). The New Zealand price is up 25.5% over the past year, which saw grocery prices rise 4.9%. Coffee is closely watched as a barometer of economic shit-ness; both sides of the ditch have seen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stuff.co.nz\/nz-news\/360573575\/world-coffee-prices-surge-could-10-cup-be-horizon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">breathy<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/australia-news\/2025\/jan\/07\/coffee-prices-australia-going-up-cafe-flat-white-cost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">predictions<\/a> of double-digit flat whites due to global market factors.<\/p>\n<p>14.2%<\/p>\n<p>The estimate of Australians living below the poverty line, according to University of New South Wales researchers.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>AU$146.3bn<\/p>\n<p>The collective net worth of Australia\u2019s 10 wealthiest people according to the latest Forbes rich list. New Zealand\u2019s NBR ranks both individuals and families (like the Mowbrays and Talleys) with its top 10 totalling NZ$52.1bn in wealth.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"A hand judges the scale of an exodus.\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"responsive\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;bottom:0;right:0;box-sizing:border-box;padding:0;border:none;margin:auto;display:block;width:0;height:0;min-width:100%;max-width:100%;min-height:100%;max-height:100%\"\/>Many things are on a different scale across the ditch. (Image: Mad Max Fury Road)<br \/>\n501<\/p>\n<p>The section of the Australian Migration Act that enables a migrant\u2019s visa cancellation and deportation if certain requirements \u2013 including a \u201ccharacter test\u201d \u2013 fail to be met. The fallout of the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/02-02-2023\/end-in-sight-for-australian-deportations-denounced-as-draconian-and-inhumane\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">draconian and inhumane<\/a>\u201d policy has <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/atea\/07-06-2022\/once-were-one-colony-501-deportations-and-the-history-of-maori-in-australia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">been<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/atea\/16-10-2024\/hardship-healing-and-hope-a-glimpse-inside-the-501s-conference\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">documented<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/03-06-2021\/nz-is-rightly-outraged-at-australias-deportation-policy-but-we-must-face-our-own-shame\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">debated<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/01-12-2022\/a-brief-look-at-the-harm-australias-501-policy-has-caused\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">criticised<\/a>. A renewed <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/11-06-2024\/as-australia-toughens-its-501-policy-heres-what-you-need-to-know\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">crackdown<\/a> has seen visas <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homeaffairs.gov.au\/research-and-stats\/files\/character-and-general-cancellation-stats-30-jun-2025.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">cancelled<\/a> for 400 New Zealand citizens living in Australia in the year to July 2025, the highest annual figure since July 2020.<\/p>\n<p>2001<\/p>\n<p>The year Australia stopped granting New Zealand migrants automatic citizenship. This changed again in 2023 with the introduction of a new policy; New Zealanders with special category visas who\u2019ve been living in Australia for four years (and meet requirements) could apply for citizenship, skipping the permanent resident step.<\/p>\n<p>Resident entitlements differ on either side of the Tasman. Only Australian citizens are eligible to vote in the country\u2019s federal elections. New Zealand is a bit more chill; both citizens and permanent residents can vote in national elections.<\/p>\n<p> Permanent residents in Australia aren\u2019t eligible for student loans, but at least New Zealanders citizens qualify for domestic fees. Or you can join the defence force (no citizenship requirement for that!) as long as you\u2019ve lived in Australia for at least a year.<\/p>\n<p>72,700<\/p>\n<p>The \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.stats.govt.nz\/information-releases\/international-migration-september-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">record<\/a>\u201d number of New Zealand citizens who had left Aotearoa in the year to September 2025.<\/p>\n<p>$570<\/p>\n<p>At the time of writing this story, the price of a one-way economy ticket from Auckland to Brisbane on January 1, 2026. Going to Christchurch instead (the country\u2019s fastest-growing region) on the same day would set you back between $413 and $525. A flight to Queenstown, <a href=\"https:\/\/thespinoff.co.nz\/politics\/30-09-2025\/is-there-any-way-to-satisfy-the-ever-growing-demand-for-queenstown-housing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">where 28% of the houses are empty<\/a>, could cost up to $785. Cabin crew working for Air New Zealand (which recorded a profit of $126m in 2025) are going <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rnz.co.nz\/news\/business\/579914\/union-warns-of-further-strike-by-air-new-zealand-flight-attendants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">on strike<\/a> too. They\u2019ll walk off the job on December 8.<\/p>\n<p>?<\/p>\n<p>How much you\u2019ll earn at the bullet farm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It seems like everyone\u2019s leaving for Australia, and these numbers point to why. Oi, you there. Are you&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166068,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[108480,85,108481,138,27083,492,8751,111,139,69,2935],"class_list":["post-166067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-108480","tag-australia","tag-australian-deportation-policy","tag-business","tag-citizenship","tag-comments-enabled","tag-migration","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-society"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}