NZ migrants find slice of heaven in Brisbane as citizenship increases six-fold

Former New Zealanders made up almost half of the 1150 new Australians welcomed in Brisbane on Saturday as part of the city’s super-citizenship fortnight.

Overall, Kiwis switching to Australia are the main factor in the six-fold increase in new Australian citizens in the past 12 months.

Brisbane Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner is officiating at a series of super-citizenship ceremonies in Brisbane until August 19, including back-to-back functions on Saturday.

Of the 1200 new Australians welcomed as citizenship ceremonies on Saturday almost half were former Kiwis. Former Kiwi Jole McPhee and daughters Charlottee and Georgia - originally from Invercargill - now call Australia, home.

Overall, more 2800 residents from 120 different countries of origin – a six-fold increase since 2023 – will call Australia home by August 19.

Since 2019 more than 30,000 new citizens have been sworn in by Schrinner.

In Brisbane on Saturday 532 of the 1150 new citizens who packed out Brisbane City Hall, were former Kiwis who have “made the switch across the ditch”, as the colloquial welcome goes.

Former Invercargill resident Joel McPhee highlighted Queensland’s weather over the Kiwi offerings as the incentive to become a new Australian citizen to Schrinner on Saturday.

“I love Brisbane. One of the best things is the amazing weather,” McPhee said.

“Have you ever lived in Invercargill, New Zealand?”

He said he first came to Queensland and Brisbane as a student.

“Brisbane is just awesome. I’d visited Gold Coast and Australia before I moved here, so I knew studying at UQ and living here would be great,” he said.

“After graduating, I started working, playing with a rugby club here, and you just find it is a great place to live.”

He has chosen Brisbane over Sydney and Melbourne after travelling around Australia.

“Sydney and Melbourne are nice places to visit down south, but I wouldn’t want to live there,” he said after the ceremony.

Brisbane City Hall was packed out on Saturday as a big increase in Kiwis and Indians led to a six=fold increase in new Australians settling in Brisbane.

“Also, my wife’s family is living in Gladstone now too, so it is harder to leave to go back to New Zealand. This is home for me and my family.”

The bumper ceremonies follow the highly successful super citizenship ceremonies in 2022 which saw more than 4300 new citizens in three days in Brisbane.

Home countries of Brisbane people switching to become Australian citizens

• New Zealand 1,846
• India 1,167
• United Kingdom 758
• China 351
• Vietnam 328
• South Africa 327
• Philippines 314
• Iran 216
• Taiwan 206
• Brazil 183

Source: Brisbane City Council. Since July 2023 legislation fast-tracking citizenship for New Zealanders.

Schrinner said the decision to become an Australian citizen was now an incentive for many Kiwis.

“Most New Zealanders already have the flexibility to live, work and travel Australia without visas, and this shows today’s citizens really want Australia to be their forever home,” he said.

“This is the final step in their journey to becoming an Australian and the atmosphere at our citizenship ceremonies is always one filled with excitement and anticipation.

The 2021 Census showed Greater Brisbane’s population had grown by 22.8 per cent since 2011, up by almost 500,000 people from 2,065,996 to 2,526,238.

Greater Brisbane’s growth outstripped Sydney (19.11 per cent), Hobart (17.01 per cent) Darwin (16.02 per cent) and Adelaide (13.27 per cent), and was almost on par with Melbourne (22.94 per cent) and Perth (22.43 per cent).

The 2021 census data showed Pallara, south of Inala with a growth rate of 16 per cent was one of Brisbane’s boom suburbs.