Kiwis flock to land of plenty

THE old stereotype was never accurate but statistics prove the half-million Kiwis who live in Australia are more likely to be employed than Australians.

NEW Zealanders migrating to Australia these days head straight to a job rather than to the dole office.

The old stereotype was never accurate, but the statistics prove the half-million Kiwis who live in Australia are more likely to be employed than Australians.

"We have a higher education rate and the days of the old dole bludger have gone," said Mark Ovens, who heads up the Sydney-based Kiwi Expats Association which has 7000 members.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics show New Zealanders are more likely to be working full-time compared to Australians aged 15 to 64.

About 90 per cent of male Kiwi migrants have jobs compared to 83 per cent of Australian men, the ABS report said. "We come for the opportunity, you can earn more, there are better prospects and we're still only three hours from home," said Mr Ovens, 58, who moved here 30 years ago.

The number of New Zealanders living in Australia has increased from 280,200 in 1989 to 529,200 in 2009 - enough to form NZ's second biggest city after Auckland.

For every 100 Kiwis living in New Zealand there are 15 living in Australia.

On average, 13,100 arrive each year, but last year 25,000 came, according to the ABS social trends report, a reflection of how much harder the GFC hit New Zealand.

One in 10 people now living on the Gold Coast was born in New Zealand.

"New Zealanders have been an important part in Australia's recent surge in population," said Dr Bob Birrell from Monash University's Centre for Population and Urban Research. "They come here because job opportunity is greater and because there are no restrictions on their movement to Australia."

Since the 1920s there has been a free flow of people between the two countries, but the Australian High Commission in NZ reports there are only 60,000 Australians living and working in NZ.

According to immigration figures, 6253 of permanent and long-term Kiwi arrivals in 2008-09 were professionals or associate-professionals. Monique Dower, a real estate agent with Belle Property in Annandale, and husband Leon Naufufu, a marketing professional, moved from Auckland to Sydney 10 years ago and haven't looked back.

"The weather's better, the restaurants are better, the jobs are better, the pay is better," the mother-of-two said.The couple both became Australian citizens in 2005 which allowed them to access all there was on offer, like the baby bonus for their two sons.

"We wanted to vote and we did get the first home buyers grant too," she said.

This week, the family will make their annual trip back to Auckland for Christmas, but there are no plans to move back permanently.

"I never say never, but I see no prospect of going back, there's more exciting opportunities for the kids here," Mr Naufufu said.

You can take them out of the country, give them Australian citizenship but who do they go for in the rugby?

"All Blacks of course," Mr Naufufu said.