NZers should consider Aussie move implications first

New Zealanders should consider Aussie move implications first, UC researcher says

October 3, 2013

New Zealanders looking to move to Australia should consider many implications before they take the plunge, a University of Canterbury researcher says.

Even returning Kiwi migrants can encounter unexpected pitfalls and complications, Dr Rosemary Baird says.

She will give a public lecture on campus next week (October 9) outlining the potential costs of migration, which are often ignored, and highlight issues related to migration which only surface years after the initial move.  See a YouTube preview of her lecture here: http://youtu.be/KXejbP6xk3Y

``Other issues need to be taken into account. How hard is it to fit into Australian society? Will a person lose touch with New Zealand friends and family? What’s it like to return to New Zealand?

What if a person does not make it big in Australia?

``We all know someone who has migrated to Australia and the large influx of Kiwis across the Tasman is a recurring controversial topic in politics and the media. But the common stereotypes of New Zealand migration to Australia doesn't take into account the complexity of individual experiences which are usually rich, contradictory, messy and evolving.’’

Her lecture is based on her thesis about Kiwis who moved to Australia from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. Their stories and reflections demonstrate that while the decision to move is often made quickly, the long term ramifications of being a Kiwi in Australia affects migrants for years.

``Kiwis often initially experience a sense of cultural dislocation. Moving to Australia is often portrayed as easy, lucrative and painless. However, there can be hidden long-term emotional and relational costs.

``Many New Zealanders are realising the Australian dream is not so perfect after all with work harder to find and less lucrative. New Zealand's economic recovery has gathered pace as the Canterbury rebuild gains momentum.

``But once New Zealanders start hearing the Australian dream isn’t so certain, that work is harder to find and less lucrative, then they are more likely to reconsider.

``I certainly don’t think that migration to Australia will drop significantly unless Australia finds itself in a far weaker economic position than New Zealand. Australia will remain an easily accessible, warm, culturally familiar destination for those looking to move overseas.

``While migration to Australia is still very possible for many Kiwis, economic success is currently less assured. No doubt some potential Kiwi migrants to Australia will now reconsider and look to join the Christchurch rebuild instead.’’

For details of Dr Baird’s lecture, see: https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/event/8250733165

ENDS

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