"The real reason: opportunity.
NZ’s economy offers few paths beyond agriculture and real estate.
Larger, more diversified Australian cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane) offer broader careers and education options
In Summary
New Zealand’s paradox: a high-quality society built atop a narrow economy. Its openness with Australia, while culturally beneficial, drains the very people it needs to sustain growth. Until it diversifies beyond real estate and agriculture and offers more opportunity to young professionals, the exodus is likely to continue"
Australia has some huge advantages to live in, and there is a lot of choices of places to live there to suit one's needs.
The weather is warmer in Oz.
I'm from Christchurch NZ, where the October average sea temperature is 12°C (53°F) and the yearly maximum is 20°C (68°F). I wouldn't recommend Christchurch to anyone who is sensitive to cold or wind.
Oz house prices can be okay outside the major cities . . . however the major cities mostly have whacko bad affordability: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/25/the-10-most-impossibly-unaff... (one of the few articles that uses median rather than average). Beware that you can't compare directly with the US because mortgages are riskier in Oz/NZ: interest rates for more than 5 years are approximately variable rate (30 year mortgages are not available).
One can obtain good jobs in Australia. 30% of the population is immigrants, so fitting-in is doable.
