Presented as the land of opportunity, Australia is beginning to look more like a career-killer for those Kiwis who feel they can't strike a fair deal in New Zealand.
Mike Harris, the former New Zealand under-20 player who was rejected by the Blues only to become a Wallaby 18 months later, is very much the exception rather than the rule. The more common outcome for those peripheral Kiwis who have jumped the Tasman in search of a better rugby life is that they regress - become a product of their comparatively mediocre environments.
Other than Harris, it's hard to think of another Kiwi professional or semi-professional who has advanced their cause by shifting to Australia. Tom Chamberlain was an exciting openside prospect at the Blues - shifted to the Rebels in 2012 and hasn't been seen since. He's now playing in Japan.
James King was being touted as a possible All Black lock in 2009. Rangy, skilled and supremely athletic, the North Harbour man was beset by injury after he made such a favourable impression in his rookie ITM Cup campaign. He managed only four games for the Blues in 2011 before signing with the Rebels where he's yet to play.
Winston Stanley has become wallpaper at the Force - the province he joined in 2012. He is a former IRB world junior player of the year nominee. Who would be able to deduce that pedigree from watching him play for the Force?