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Clean and green, with short drives to work, stunning views and cheap housing - New Zealand has been getting a glowing airing in Australia this week after an immigration report saying Aussies are heading here to live.
For decades the immigration tide across the Tasman fell in Australia's favour but now New Zealand is the top destination for people leaving the wide brown land permanently.
Australia experienced its biggest annual exodus on record with 76,923 people leaving the country permanently in 2007-08, a 6.7 percent increase on the previous year.
Permanent departures headed for New Zealand (18.4 percent), the United Kingdom (17.8 percent), the United States (9.3 percent), Hong Kong (7.2 percent) and Singapore (6.4 percent).
The Emigration 2007-2008 report found that almost half the Australian residents that left permanently were in skilled jobs and nearly two-thirds were aged between 25 and 54.
Australian news media were quick to embellish the report.
Tabloid current affairs program Today Tonight said Australians were moving to New Zealand because of the clean, green lifestyle and housing was cheaper.
In between shots of idyllic scenery, the program interviewed two Australians who both said housing affordability was a factor for jumping the ditch, even taking into account lower salaries.
That, and being 10 minutes from the beach, and enjoying a view of the CBD from the kitchen window.
Radio broadcast technician Frank Wilcox, who settled in Auckland, described his new hometown as "more laid back (than a bigger city)", and "like a very, very big country town".
He extolled his CBD view from his kitchen, and the lack of traffic snarls.
Private investigator Bryn Shoesmith was impressed he could find houses for $A180,000 ($NZ203,000), rather than expecting to pay up to $A600,000, which is standard in Sydney.
The report showed the top five countries of birth for those leaving were: Australia 39,144, New Zealand 7820, United Kingdom 6047, China 4480 and Hong Kong 2211.
It may help alter the perception that New Zealand is the land of the long white transit lounge.
Nearly 20 percent of the 37,000 Kiwis who crossed the Tasman last year intending to stay in Australia permanently or for at least a year, were born outside New Zealand.
The story made headlines in Australia.
The number of New Zealand citizens born overseas moving to live in Australia was 4187 in 2003, but this rose to 7159 last year.
- NZPA
