British Make the Move

The latest figures from Statistics New Zealand show that in June almost 40,000 New Zealanders left for Australia, the same amount as April 2012 and the highest ever recorded. But helping to stem this tide are migrants. The UK leads the field with 5600 emigrating to New Zealand, followed by Chinese (5200) and Indians (5200). New Zealand’s attractiveness as a family-friendly location and its quality of life appeal to expats faced with austerity measures and job losses at home. Tony Alexander, chief economist at Bank of New Zealand, said: “Expectations for a quick end to hard times in Europe in particular, have gone out the window. That means a lot of people are probably thinking more in terms of where would be a good place to bring up their children.”