Simeon Brown and Sam Uffindell can’t read graphs – how National mislead you
New Zealand’s net migration data has become a political battleground, with National MPs claiming the tide of Kiwis leaving for Australia has been reversed under Christopher Luxon. But a closer look at the official figures from Statistics New Zealand shows the opposite trend — raising serious questions about how migration data is being presented to the public.
How National is misrepresenting migration data
Here is a recent post by National Party MP Sam Uffindell claiming that his boss Christopher Luxon has turned around the mass outward migration of New Zealanders – mainly to Australia. The graph supposedly supporting this claim had previously been used by Minister Simeon Brown with the same claim.
What the migration graph actually shows
The only problem is that this graph shows the exact opposite. Sam and Simeon, when migration numbers are negative (that is below the zero horizontal axis) it means that more people are leaving than returning.
Simeon could perhaps be forgiven for not knowing this – after all he is only a tax lawyer. But Sam has a commerce degree and apparently was once a vice-president at Deutsche Bank.
The real migration numbers under Luxon
For the record Statistics New Zealand reports net migration of New Zealand citizens on a monthly basis. This data shows that since Christopher Luxon became PM (December 2023) until February 2026 a net of 88,400 New Zealanders left New Zealand. By comparison during the previous six years of Labour led governments (December 2017 to November 2023) net migration of New Zealand citizens was a loss of 46,200 people, which is still not great.
Incompetence or deliberate spin?
Let’s give Sam and Simeon the benefit of the doubt – they are not trying to deceive us, they just can’t read graphs.
Because this isn’t just about one misleading graph. It’s about whether politicians are competent enough to understand the data they are presenting — or whether they are banking on the public not understanding it. Either way, when 88,400 New Zealanders have left the country under your watch, claiming victory isn’t just spin — it’s an insult to the reality people are living.
Bed leg Sam and Simple Simeon wouldn’t have a brain cell between them though would have a Bible thick list of lies they purport. Thankfully this year’s election will see the last of them. Those to rats can join the other rats Corrupt Collins and Vampire Van Velden.
Oh dear! Like I keep saying, everything this FAILED CoC touches turns to custard. How can so many of this inane lot be that gormless? They are hell-bent on proving they are superior, but keep demonstrating they are simply subordinate. Despite what their RW enablers say and do, you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!
Expect more of their delusion as we lead up to the election….
The Coalition of The Hopeless are really just a delusional bunch of people…mainly made up of people who were more than likely indulged as children and therefore deluded about their abilities
as adults….adults, as in age…not maturity.
Their belief systems are based around a very basic, simplistic view of the world
mirroring their parents narrow minded ideologies.
Just like 36% of Americans still believe that Trump is a god like genius, you still have, in this country, 30% of people still believing that National are economically competent , when clearly they are not, 7% saying that Act, and 12% for NZ First should be running the country.
This is despite terrible terrible stats and useless decision making coming out across all porfolios… credit downgrades…unhinged borrowing to pay for tax cuts for their ilk….support for cigarette companies and real estate people…dramatically increased unemployment…dramatic exodus of skilled people leaving the country…climate action and targets out the window…degraded safety conditions for people working in dangerous jobs…
The list goes on and on and on..
Formation of delusional thinking syndrome is largely, but not always, seeded through intergenerational mental conditioning that is not based around any form of logic or hard facts…
The world is in big trouble.
A.I says NO!