Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho, It’s Off to Oz They Go

A chance conversation last week about cross-Tasman migration was with a real estate agent from a small agency on the Sunshine Coast, currently with ten Kiwi families on his books who are leaving the sinking ship of New Zealand for greater opportunity, more money, warmer climate, and less political chicanery.  One agent. One modest agency. Ten relocating families. These are people who have money and can afford to live very pleasant, well-housed lives. These people are not planning on coming back to New Zealand. This is a permanent relocation and a commitment to a new way of life.

It is estimated that around 670,000 New Zealand citizens live in Australia (close to 15% of New Zealand’s population), while there are around 70,000 Australians in New Zealand.

 dfat.govt.au

The Daily Mail Australia on August 22^nd ran the headline “Prepare for a Kiwi invasion! Why thousands of New Zealanders are ditching Jacinda Ardern and moving to Australia for good.”

The promised 5.1% hike in the minimum wage is set to “incentivise” Kiwis to move to Australia to work. ‘We know that Albanese promised a real injection of funds into the health sector and into the aged care sector, and we also know that he’s interested in seeing the minimum wage rise by at least 5 percent,’ Professor Curtin, University of Auckland Public Policy Institute director, told AM. 

NZ Professor says Kiwis will flock to Australia after Anthony Albanese promised a minimum wage rise | Daily Mail Online

While Australia has not escaped a cost-of-living increase, it is not as significant, given higher wages. The wages in NZ are unable to keep up with inflation and are causing hardship and misery for thousands of hard-working Kiwis. A misery that Jacinda Ardern has promised will continue. 

“Although the minimum wage in New Zealand has been growing annually under Labour, Ms Ardern […] announced wage growth would remain stymied for at least another 12 months as the nation grapples with the skyrocketing price of goods.”

While the Government is happy to blame this on external factors, the Opposition blames the Ardern administration for the increases. 

“New Zealand’s opposition party blamed Jacinda Ardern’s government for the sharp price hikes.”

“But the Government responded saying the rising cost of living is what ‘nearly every country is facing’ due to Covid related supply chain issues and the war in Ukraine.” 

NZ Professor says Kiwis will flock to Australia after Anthony Albanese promised a minimum wage rise | Daily Mail Online

The attraction of Australia has long been tempting to Kiwis and has been seen as a move for the younger set, more easily relocated and happy to take up more lucrative employment options and enjoy a new and different lifestyle.  

In pre-Covid 2018 my daughters and their families were returning to the southern hemisphere after many years in the UK and investigated whether they should come home to New Zealand. Definitely not was the answer they came up with.  Wages and salaries were too low, the cost of living too high (now even more so); housing prices were set to go through the roof.  Healthcare was a looming nightmare. Crime would become an increasing, grim reality of life. It is no surprise that they went to Australia and set up very pleasant lives there, well remunerated and well housed. And it is no surprise that those fears for New Zealand have not just become the norm but a continuing and never-ending story of financial distress and all that entails. 

Under Jacinda Ardern’s reign of terror New Zealand has become almost unrecognisable, significant numbers of its people broken and distressed. 

And so, the conversation with the Sunshine Coast real estate agent is not a bolt from the blue. What is different, however, is the age of those seeking a new life. Jacinda Ardern can bluster all she likes but with the exodus of those citizens is the exodus of their finances, their investments – and their taxes.

One, and only one, of the concerns about the direction of New Zealand, and there are many, is the increasing crime rate. An increase that Jacinda Ardern continues to ‘refute’. 

“The prime minister has rejected claims Labour is not tough enough on crime, saying the penalties are the same under both major parties, but prevention and rehabilitation is key.” 

PM Jacinda Ardern rejects claims govt is too soft on crime (msn.com)

This despite the fact that in June of this year there were “calls for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to declare a crime crisis as Auckland business owners grapple with a spate of violent robberies and ram raids”.

“Dairy and Business Association chair Sunny Kaushal told AM’s Ryan Bridge it’s time the Government acknowledged how serious the situation is.”

“A sense of lawlessness is now gripping all of New Zealand and the soft on crime approach is not working. We are calling the Prime Minister to declare a crime emergency in New Zealand, it is that serious,” Kaushal told Bridge.

Calls for PM Jacinda Ardern to declare crime crisis as dairy owners arm themselves amid spike in violent robberies | Newshub

How do the numbers stack up?

Overall, the number of crimes recorded in New Zealand has increased by 15.4%.

How much has crime actually increased? | The Spinoff

How have different types of crime changed since before the pandemic?

Change in number of monthly victimisations recorded in 2017-2019 compared to 2021-2022 by ANZSOC (Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology) Division

Theft and related offences up 25.2%

Acts intended to cause injury up 19.7%

Sexual assaults and related offences up 8.5%

Robbery, Extortion and Related Offences -3.3%

Unlawful Entry with Intent/Burglary, Break and Enter -5.5%

Abduction, Harassment and Other Related Offences Against a Person -20.6%

Source: New Zealand Police  Get the data  How much has crime actually increased? | The Spinoff

Since 2017 and Jacinda Ardern’s ascendency to the throne, we see the largest increase in crime percentages for 10 years – a staggering 253.88%  increase.

New Zealand Crime Rate & Statistics 1990-2022 | MacroTrends

And the newest game in town? Ram-raids? What of them?

In the first six months of this year, there have been 254 ramraids – that’s a 518 percent increase on the first six months of 2018.

A police report analysing a year of ram raids found 76 percent were committed by youths under 17 years old and 17 percent were under 13 years old.

Thirty-eight repeat offenders were responsible for about a quarter of the ram-raids and almost one in five of the offenders were under 13.

Just 4 percent of offenders were patched gang members and a further 5 percent had known gang associations. But the report noted an “increasing presence of youth gangs”.  (Emphasis added). 

Documents revealed 518 percent increase in ram raids, one-in-five offenders under 13 | Newshub

Youth gangs. Yet another step on the path to lawlessness in New Zealand.

Miss Ardern can bluster all she likes, but the reality is reflected in the statistics. Along with those showing the increase in children living in cars, families housed in ‘emergency’ motel accommodation, ramraids, truancy, gangs – and all alongside increasing welfare dependency. 

Is it any wonder there is an increasing exodus of New Zealanders to Australia?