Brain drain: Kiwis heading overseas as living costs rise
In March, Kiwibank predicted New Zealand would have an annual net loss of about 20,000 people as borders opened.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment estimated up to 125,000 New Zealanders – of which 100,000 would be people of working age – could leave the country in the next year. MBIE’s ballpark prediction, though, was 50,000.
The Westpac TV advert reminds all children that the only way you will get a house in this fucking country is if a mythical Yeti turns up and builds it for you.
I say this to young NZ – flee!
NZ is a user pays society that has dumped any pretence of egalitarianism. Your student debt locks you out of home ownership and the broken housing market only benefits speculators while crushing first time home buyers.
Wages have been suppressed by de-unionising the workforce, subsistence living and poverty are the norm and public services have been endlessly eroded.
Flee.
This country has become the Land of the wrong white crowd and the only solutions the political Left have are virtue signalling identity politics that only alienate while the Right sells endless selfishness.
Flee.
Our suicide rates speak of a dark treacle at the heart of our nature that whispers dark truths we never want to hear.
Flee.
We have built our economy on the sandcastles of hyper tourism, exploiting migrant workers and International Student Language School scams.
Flee.
Run from the failed experiment of neoliberalism that is New Zealand.
We have failed ourselves and our blunders shouldn’t blight your futures.
Flee.
The Big Tech Tzars have manipulated our collective fear, ego, anger and insecurities through social media in a way that has led to the largest psychological civil war ever launched against one another.
We are but meat bags secreting hormones addicted to dopamine rewards for fat, sugar, salt and sex in a cultural landscape of individualism uber alles where we sing sweet secret lies to ourselves to make sense of a world around us that is frightening and in constant entropy.
Meanwhile, the planet burns and every aspect of our existence is monetarised for big data to sell us more stuff we canât afford. We are alienated and anesthetized by a consumer culture that keeps us neurotic and disconnected. Our work, our existence, every move we make are all built to suck money to a minority class that sits above us while under neoliberalism, globalization, financialization, and automation, our existence as individuals has only become more disposable.
Flee for we are a Nation of cursed hollow men with no memory and no vision.
Flee.
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Well said Martyn, trouble is that the better kids leave.
I don’t think NZ is an experimental neoliberal petri dish. It’s merely Reaganism and Thatcherism spread through the American/Anglo Empire since the 1980’s and it’s failing badly everywhere.
Is it really failing or is it just that you wish it was?
Iâve never quite understood why millions of people risk death to migrate to all of these living hells of racist, oppressive neoliberal disasters like the US and UK if itâs so bad?
By no means are either countries perfect, neither is the capitalist approach they are built upon but the alternatives are all far far worse.
Oh, and as Iâm a mythical Yeti I can confirm no house building will be undertaken. Please flee.
Yeti: you say the UK is a “racist” and “oppressive” country. Racist countries have racist laws – prime examples being apartheid South Africa, and the USA of the Jim Crow era.
What racist laws does the UK have?
And who exactly is “oppressed” in the UK, nowadays?
TRANSPORTING MIGRANTS TO RWANDAN ‘CAMPS’
bet it won’t apply to ‘nice’ blonde ukrainians…you could argue that brexit was at least in part racist or at the very least xenophobic
I have been thinking about this whole line of thought (i.e. European countries offering refuge to Ukrainians and this being offered up as an example of racism by people such as gagarin) however would these same people criticise countries such as Saudi Arabia offering similar sanctuary to Muslim refugees from areas of conflict such as Syria?
Clearly the answer is no because a Muslim country assisting Muslim refugees is praiseworthy while a European country doing exactly the same with Ukrainians is of course racist (particularly it seems if the Ukrainians are blonde which is of course another clumsy attempt to label Europeans as Nazi’s).
http://refugeehistory.org/blog/2020/11/12/a-recent-history-of-refugees-in-saudi-arabia#:~:text=Syrians%20have%20been%20able%20to,services%20such%20as%20free%20healthcare.
white europian good, dusky bad…sounds like racism to me.
now if you want to discuss the effects of immigration on wages, infrastructure and culture that’s a different kettle of worms.
muslim countries evident failures doesn’t give the uk permission for racist policy.
and rawanda FFS
priti patel being the child of ugandan asians..she knows full well how ‘racial conflicts’ go in africa
Lots of things “could” be argued, and propped up with flimsy evidence. If the UK in the 21st century is a racist country, then so are most or even all other countries, so the word loses any meaning it once had.
As for Ukrainians, how many of them arrive in the UK illegally? According to the Pew Research Centre, most unauthorised migrants come from Asia or sub-Saharan Africa https://www.pewresearch.org/global/fact-sheet/unauthorized-immigrants-in-the-united-kingdom/
On the other hand, I won’t be surprised if genuine refugees from Ukraine are admitted to the UK. You have a problem with that?
ok smarty pants I will argue brexit was in part racist…deny it if you can.
‘Smarty Pants’ is also racist because pre-colonisation / invasion no one here was wearing pants (smart or otherwise)?
smarty pants? Well that’s not very gracious.
You will argue brexit was racist? Good for you Yuri – and don’t let the evidence get in the way of your pose of “anti-racist” virtue.
and your evidence for farage and his gammon army not being racist/xenophobic is….references to the battle of britain, the dunkisk spirit etc don’t count.
hey G the Ukrainians are illegal immigrants unlike our economic migrants who think they can go anywhere any time
I am English travelled the World and lived in both Australia and NZ . You will find racism in all countries some official some unofficial you will also find sexism and ageism . I think it is a human trait to be afraid of anyone not the same as you and only education and experience can change this curse that blights the life of so many
indeed trev and it’s real difficult to hate your grandkid after your daughter has married (insert minority here)
As for reasons why millions of people risk death to migrate to the US and UK …
At a guess I’d say things like … welfare. Especially in the UK, which has one of the most generous welfare systems in the world.
And how about the rule of law?
How about low levels of corruption?
How about a functional public health system (in the UK, not the USA)?
Honestly, your comment epitomizes the idiocy of contemporary “social justice” ideology.
and your comment perfectly represents the gammon position pope
For lexicon learners –
‘the word gammon burst onto the scene in May 2018 when it entered the popular radar as the insult of choice for middle-aged men outspoken in their right-wing (more specifically UK Conservative) political persuasion’
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/buzzword/entries/gammon.html
“Iâve never quite understood why millions of people risk death to migrate to all of these living hells of racist, oppressive neoliberal disasters like the US and UK if itâs so bad?”
Because racist, oppressive neoliberal disasters like the US and UK have spent the last 400 years stealing and exploiting the wealth, natural resources and human capital of the countries from which they flee. Locking them out of meaningful membership of the first world club. Fleeing the fire for a disintegrating frying pan only serves to further illuminate the result of laissez faire capitalism.
“why millions of people risk death to migrate to the US and UK”.. Apart from being a silly and emotive thing to say, it also fails utterly to recognise the basic reason for emigrating to those, and many other countries… Economics… I will be going back to Australia once my mother passes on, which brought me back here, as I can make a decent living both as a boilermaker/welder, or as a musician. Something that is impossible here, and has been since Ruth Richardson drove us into destitution… At the point when employment agencies are demanding peoples police records before interviewing them for basic welding jobs, there is a serious problem within NZ’s management structure and culture.. NZ started the slide into authoritarianism as a result of bringing in over half a million under educated, and under skilled migrants in less than 9 years without spending a cent towards the infrastructure required to accommodate the population burst… Even getting a drivers licence here has become a nightmare of bureaucratic hurdles as a result of the volume of fraudulent practices by a large percentage of those immigrants.. The Clarke government did nothing much to rebuild NZ’s manufacturing base, which made it easier for the Key government to completely munt it in favor of making real estate the only way to make money… Who cares about the politics.. It’s about being able to make a decent living, and give our children a real chance in life… Unless one was lucky enough to buy a house prior to 2010, they’re out of luck. I’m predicting a massive wave of mortgagee sales in the next couple of years, as interest rates, and inflation return to normal levels… NZ will be utterly munted at that point, and there will be hundreds of thousands at the least trying to flee..
Neeoliberalism in the 1980’s stuffed what was a good country.
The selling off of State Assets to Offshore Interests was mindless and was never going to benefit the Joe Average New Zealander.
Bhahahahahahaha. They have already made up their minds to leave. Happened to every country where restriction of movement implemented by the Government of the day. Ardern won’t mind – beneficiaries, gangs and government officials will remain behind – her biggest voting blocs.
proof gang members vote labour? in fact proof they vote would be handy…or are you just spouting empty rightard bullet points again panzerboi….I fear the latter.
And teachers.
Don’t forget all the teachers.
Strong union that.
Got teacher only days during term time.
Not during school holidays which aren’t supposed to be holidays for teachers.
Nurses too?
All state employees as well?
Same old shallow, assumptive, old fashioned tory bigotry again? Have you nothing to say worth saying? Not so far..
Absolutely spot on Martyn. Whilst real estate agencies are the main advertising revenue stream for all MSM in NZ and where evil spruikers like Ashley Church give Megan Woods advice that she takes and actually uses, with credit, in parliament, then the country is slowly dieing as it’s goodness is sucked out of it. Young people should not even try and survive on the rotting husk of a country the parasites left them. Save yourselves, just FLEE FFS!!!!
and don’t forget realtors commissions rely on churning the market
Eloquent. Depressing, and full of truth!
As a boomer who deliberately equipped her offspring to survive in the world away from NZ all I can say is nothing has changed in over 40 years.
And the IQ of the country rises and the whining slowly subsides.
Wait till they get to the other side and find that the grass isn’t greener as they thought that it might have been.
An OE delayed, that’s all. A mental health respite.
Well, I feel reluctant handing over my sympathies..
My fellow Millennials voted for Labour.. TWICE~!! Outrageous!! đ
– PM Ardern did say she wanted house prices to increases.
– PM Ardern did cut out primary industries, therefore stagnating the exchange rate (inflation)
– PM Ardern did oversee NZ’s largest wealth transfer since Captain Cook
So what ??.. we gonna go American styles now? All the woke-tards fleeing the likes of California and New York for conservative States like Texas and Florida?
In our case the woke-tards often want to flee to Australia, where they pull wealth out of the ground. Such resource pulling is effectively banned in NZ, even though it made the Australians the wealthiest citizens in the West.
I think the woke-tards should be forced to stay in the countries, states and cities they helped destroy. I’m told America use to apply a ‘values test’ before granting citizenship – there’s definitely merit in that.
Apparently conservative American states are not happy woke-tards are leaving hell-holes like California and turning up at the ballot-boxes in conservative states – voting woke!
You make a woke bed, you lie in it. Now glue on your virtue-signaling face diaper for safety.
Again, I feel reluctant handing over my sympathies.
PS: Labour is coming for Australia.
I actually agree completely with you Bomberino.
It’s grim innit?
Oh boy Martyn
I just read this and also Trotter’s piece today. And now I am standing on the ledge of a bridge, signing off from this horrible place we live in – New Mordor. Hang on maybe not…let me shuffle back from the ledge and quickly check where I can flee to that is not ‘user pays’ and ‘everything is free’ and ‘nice to live’. Oh look, Iran and the Libya look good. Maybe Zimbabwe or Madagascar? And let’s not discount Russia now.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/worst-countries-to-live-in
When you leave NZ will become an outstanding place to live.
Get a room you too XXXXXXX
The alternative to flee is “stand and fight all this shit”.
But that will make you a “violent radical” “far right” “conspiracy theorist” looking to overthrow “democracy” in NZ.
The world is dominated by evil people, and we have learned to fit in their order. But now their order is collapsing and they are establishing a new order, demanding more, seizing even more control.
or a jewish bolshevik trying undermine christian democracy with their evil socialism…huh magic?
Get a job. Make friends. Breathe the brilliant air in this country. Fight the bosses or something else worthwhile. These are universal experiences. Thus I advised my two young people.
Nowhere to run and hide.
Live in a van, pick fruit when you need to pay for wof and rego and pickup a German girlfriend who wants to see the country and have free rent.
Fish and shoot ducks and rabbits with your air rifle.
Every morning wake up to free oceanfront views.
Get off the bus, Babylon is a trap for your soul.
analysis good but where to flee to.
…uk a brexit basketcase, us a 3rd world shitpit, auz just like us same problems but with systemic corruption thrown in….leaves canada or the eu really…though the yanks and putin are trying to subvert both those.
” Flee.”
Fuck ! That !
Fight! Riot! Resist! This is YOUR country, not theirs.
“Flee” Jesus! Only if you’re a gutless little pussy kitty.
Here’s how to start a revolution.
Use social media to gather about you like minded souls.
Like this guy.
Russell Brand. He’s got 5.4 million subscribers. That’s like one AO/NZ person having the entire population of AO/NZ on their side.
https://youtu.be/2Qui-0bVzrc
Ask your ministries to do their jobs. If you ask, they must respond.
Join a union and strike.
Do your research. Find out, exactly, who’s behind manipulating our democracy and go and knock on their door and tell them off. They’ll be privateers with urban business interests like graham hart who sold off AO/NZ property ( ie YOUR property) and now he has billions and owns a $50 million dollar crib in NYC.
Know your enemy! Are you familiar with Fay, Richwhite, Hart, Gibb, Chandler, Todd Group, Eric Watson, bob jones, Wattie etc etc?
If not then you’re not fucking paying attention and that’s why you will lose your beloved AO/NZ.
The animal kingdom will fiercely defend its territory so why is the advice you’re getting here is to “flee.” ?
You there!? You? The person with your wee kids slouching around The Warehouse trying to see an instant gratification to ease your fear and frustrations? You’ve stopped buying quality food so you can pay the rent or have the electricity on. Yeah, you!
Did you know? You have exactly the same rights and privileges as those fancy fucks in those massive mansions with their cocks out along the Wanaka waterfront? Yes, you do. So why do you feel so powerless and vulnerable then? I can tell you. It’s because they’ve convinced you that you deserve to feel that way. In YOUR AO/NZ. YOU! With your wee kids? And we know you’re not hyper riche and well educated but you’re a human being and equally vitally important, you’re an Aotearoa New Zealander. This is YOUR country, not some fancy crook’s.
Westpac? ANZ? ASB? BNZ?
Got a match? Job done.
CB
This is not our country. This is Labour’s country and Jacinda’s and Robertson’s country. It sounds like it it reads like it and one can’t help feeling any other way. They own it.
Yes SK and they are working on canceling â one man one vote. â
Poor didums.
Yes it’s all the Government’s fault, wah, wah, wah, wank, wank, wank the sausage, cabbage.
Wanky wanky money in the banky
No John Keyâs fault.
@ SK.
You’re wrong. The logical fallacy that binds your comment together is dangerous and destabilising to all AO/NZ’ers, particularly to younger people and those most at risk of the tyranny of the financially rich also being the emotionally impoverished, who in AO/NZ could be reasonably called crooks.
You comment also singles out Adern and Labour which, while not unreasonable, might give the impression that National, for whom I know you’re sympathetic towards from your other comments here are any better, more honest, or will, in some way, serve the people of AO/NZ any better than those currently in attendance to managing our democracy.
National are right wing fascist-capitalists in step ( Goose) with ACT and it was ACT’s roger douglas, and others within ‘ACT’ , who infiltrated Labour to destroy Old Labour from within. David Lange wrote via Wikipedia: “I want to thank those people whose lives were wrecked by us. They had been taught for years they had the right to an endless treadmill of prosperity and assurance, and we did them. People over 60 hate me. They hate me because I was the symbol of what caused that assurance of support and security to be shattered. That is something that has always been part of my burden.”
AO/NZ’s politic has been subverted and our economy has been sequestered into private hands for generations and that must be investigated and repaired as required otherwise AO/NZ will certainly fall into the hands of the hyper riche hovering over-head to claim our AO/NZ for their own. Particularly in these heady times of climate heating and the associated certainty of mass migration from many first world economies to essentially what can be described as ‘higher ground.’
@ Sour Krout has no answers. That’s not the point of [it] @ The Sour Krout can only hope to divide and divert our attention away from taking best care of each other, beginning from the ground up, namely getting at risk people from sleeping on it, and beginning to understand the implications of the bewildering complexities of the mire of lies, deceit and now, surely, desperation of the riche in hoping that this* too shall pass and they can get on with fucking us all over on the deal. After all, those mega mansions along Wanaka’s water front didn’t build themselves ya know.
* This… All of this. This fucking nightmare. The Nightmare on Aotearoa/ New Zealand Street. On a land dizzyingly rich in vital resources and yet where poverty, hardship and uncertainty haunts us all.
From school to the grave we’re taught to not question authority. But what if ‘authority’ is corrupt as fuck?
The National Party have lauded it over our primary industry for generations. Their overconfident arrogance is unequalled for itâs audaciousness. They openly rort our farmers while hiding, within their ranks, some of the most despicable characters in AO/NZâs political history
and yet our farmers keep going back for more. As we all do. Weâre being denied rights and privilege’s, weâre being fed garbage and lies, we must acquiesce to their whims and fancies as if we were slaves without a choice. I say, fuck that for a joke.
I am going to do a ‘Bob’ here.. (I agree with Bert – Bob was formerly ‘John’, and not John Key)..
I agree with you, countryboy. Well said.
(I wonder if Bob gets paid for his trolling. Easy money if so!)
You flatter me In Vino.
Yeti mythical? Nah, but they’re “legends” at hide and seek: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/3104417-retro-bigfoot-hide-and-seek-world-champion
Most of the young will simply ask you what a television is, so really, I don’t think you ought to be concerned over anything Westpac says to them using last century’s messaging medium.
Way ahead of you Martin. Saw the writing on the wall and left. Much more money, much less tax in a country where the woke left doesn’t get the time of day, let alone anywhere near the treasury benches. I no longer have to fund other people’s poor life choices in consequence-free NZ or the woke bureaucrats who take my money for their pet causes but then blame me for everything because ‘colonialism’.
The only thing I used to be concerned about was the lack of democracy and freedom of speech – but New Zealand appears to be moving very quickly to eliminate those values, through hate speech laws and ethnically-biased voting systems. Even here, one person gets one vote no matter their ethnicity.
NZ may be an ok place to visit for a couple of weeks in so-called ‘summer’ but there’s no reason for me to ever live or pay tax in New Zealand again.
You ain’t seen nothing yet.
When National takes the treasury benches next election we will see an unprecedented assault on the unemployed, the working poor, beneficiaries and Maori.
This period will make the 90’s Ruthenasia blitzcrieg look like the good times.
Lets hope the dress sense is better.
Donât fleeâorganise! Learn all over again how to stick it to the manâthe âmanâ being finance capital, the employing class, and our nauseating petit bourgeoisie with their fucking wine and gourmet grub.
New gens need to become politically active in numbers and reclaim what should be theirs in this land of plenty.
NZ has always had the dark kiwis, the sheepshaggers, the vindictive Torys, but time waits for no oneâthis is your time X,Y & Z.
so where did you flee to sean? do tell
Is this a free speech platform?
near enough
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