Broadened Horizons

Twenty-four per cent of New Zealanders with tertiary education live abroad, the highest rate in the OECD, according to research conducted by the University of Waikato management school. The study, led by the University’s Professor John Gibson and Dr David McKenzie of the World Bank, focused on people who were among the best high school students over the 1976 to 2004 period. It found those who stayed in New Zealand, or returned to work here, gave up almost $2000 a week on average in income. Dr McKenzie said those who studied sciences or foreign languages at secondary school were more likely to go overseas. “Their return is linked to whether they have family still in New Zealand, and their preference for New Zealand lifestyle factors,” he said. “Top students who get a PhD and marry a foreign citizen are much less likely to return to New Zealand.”