The joys of moving to Australia.
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Going to Aussie? Think again...
By James Ihaka
5:30 AM Monday Aug 15, 2011
Kiwis may not experience the good life they were expecting in Australia. Photo / Thinkstock
New Zealanders desperate to move to Australia are being told not to bother.
Rather than the good life they are expecting, they risk finding themselves broke and homeless and getting caught up in serious crime and prostitution, an Australian newspaper reported yesterday.
Statistics New Zealand figures show 29,900 permanent and long-term migrants left for Australia in the year to June in the biggest transtasman exodus for three years.
Brisbane's Sunday Mail said most were choosing Queensland - 16,000 short- and long-term-stay New Zealanders arrived at Brisbane Airport in the year to June.
The sunshine state appeals to New Zealanders because its weather is better than at home, wages are higher, and unemployment and the cost of living are lower.
But Nerang Neighbourhood Centre co-ordinator Vicky Va'a said there was a growing downside to the migration, with reports of homelessness among New Zealanders, teens "going to Surfers to prostitute themselves" and others aligning themselves with gangs and committing serious crimes because of a lack of jobs or access to services.
Her advice to Kiwis considering the move to Australia is simple and was reported in yesterday's Mail: "Don't come here, especially if you don't have a job, don't have money or a back-up plan if things don't work out."
Last year, Ms Va'a wrote a report for the Maori Party outlining the challenges facing community workers.
She said young New Zealanders away from their parents were graduating from petty offences to drug-dealing and gang-related crime.
Her report also said that according to staff at the southside office of the Brisbane Children's Court, New Zealanders accounted for 28 per cent of their case workload.
By James Ihaka
5:30 AM Monday Aug 15, 2011
Kiwis may not experience the good life they were expecting in Australia. Photo / Thinkstock
New Zealanders desperate to move to Australia are being told not to bother.
Rather than the good life they are expecting, they risk finding themselves broke and homeless and getting caught up in serious crime and prostitution, an Australian newspaper reported yesterday.
Statistics New Zealand figures show 29,900 permanent and long-term migrants left for Australia in the year to June in the biggest transtasman exodus for three years.
Brisbane's Sunday Mail said most were choosing Queensland - 16,000 short- and long-term-stay New Zealanders arrived at Brisbane Airport in the year to June.
The sunshine state appeals to New Zealanders because its weather is better than at home, wages are higher, and unemployment and the cost of living are lower.
But Nerang Neighbourhood Centre co-ordinator Vicky Va'a said there was a growing downside to the migration, with reports of homelessness among New Zealanders, teens "going to Surfers to prostitute themselves" and others aligning themselves with gangs and committing serious crimes because of a lack of jobs or access to services.
Her advice to Kiwis considering the move to Australia is simple and was reported in yesterday's Mail: "Don't come here, especially if you don't have a job, don't have money or a back-up plan if things don't work out."
Last year, Ms Va'a wrote a report for the Maori Party outlining the challenges facing community workers.
She said young New Zealanders away from their parents were graduating from petty offences to drug-dealing and gang-related crime.
Her report also said that according to staff at the southside office of the Brisbane Children's Court, New Zealanders accounted for 28 per cent of their case workload.
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