Face of New Zealand budget papers loves new life on the Gold Coast

They leapt to fame as the faces of this year’s New Zealand budget, but awkwardly, they weren’t there to see it — having jumped ship to the Gold Coast.

THEY leapt to fame in New Zealand as the faces of that country’s budget.

Only they weren’t around last month when Kiwi Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern helped deliver it. Ironically, Vicky Freeman and her daughter Ruby-Jean, 9, had escaped Auckland for the Gold Coast because of the cost of living was too high.

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Vicky Freeman and her daughter Ruby-Jean 9, have jumped the Tasman and settled on the Gold Coast in the Hinterland. Picture: Glenn Hampson

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The Freemans were looking for a fresh start when they moved to Tallai six months ago and were surprised to learn they were on the cover of one of New Zealand’s most widely publicised documents.

“My daughter and I did a paid photoshoot last year and the photographer put the images on Getty for magazines or whatever to buy,” she told the Bulletin.

“I spun out and I got very excited when we found we were the face of The Wellbeing Budget.”

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The cover of the New Zealand Wellbeing Budget with Vicky and daughter Ruby-Jean on the front.

It was the first paid job the pair did together, but when the papers were released ahead of last month’s budget they were thousands of kilometres away on the Gold Coast in search of a more affordable lifestyle.

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“I’m a single mum and I moved to Auckland from the South Island to do the TV thing. After a year it had been quite difficult trying to pay for everything on my own and I didn’t want to go through another year of feeling like I’m struggling, so we decided to move.

“I lived on the Gold Coast in my 20s and owned a Kombi van and the decision to move back wasn’t a tough one. There’s sunshine, surf and well paying jobs.

“I wanted to come back to where I was happy and my daughter is way happier here than she was in Auckland.”

The pair re-create the image, which is now plastered all over New Zealand. Picture: Glenn Hampson

Ms Freeman said she was spending less on rent and petrol and finding more career success in the modelling and film industry.

“The Gold Coast has those opportunities … in the first two weeks we probably made more money here than we did in Auckland,” she said.

Ms Freeman said while she did not keep up with politics or current affairs because it was “depressing”, she supported Ms Ardern.

“I’m all for Jacinda. I think that what she’s doing is amazing. Having a wellbeing budget is great because there’s so many suicides and people that are suffering from mental health issues.”

Ms Freeman said she would love to see improvements to mental health support in the Queensland budget today.