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NZEALAND-AUSTRALIA-POLITICS-MIGRATION
Aussies flock to Kiwi migration site after election
WELLINGTON, May 21, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The number of Australians making
online queries about migrating to New Zealand has surged after conservative
Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s shock election win, official data showed
Tuesday.
Morrison’s Liberal-National coalition defeated the opposition Labor party
on Saturday night to secure a third term in office, despite every public poll
during the campaign predicting a Labor win.
While Aussies are normally quick to joke about their Kiwi neighbours, the
prospect of three years under conservative Morrison appears to have many
contemplating a dash across the sea to New Zealand.
Immigration New Zealand (INZ) said the number of Australians visiting its
website for prospective migrants increased 12-fold to 8,522 the day after the
election, up from 715 the previous Sunday.
The number who took the next step and submitted details to register
interest in migrating soared from 20 to 512 over the same period.
“It is important to note that these are purely registrations of interest in
coming to New Zealand and does not necessarily translate to the number of
people actually moving,” INZ manager Greg Forsythe said in a statement.
Australians do not need a visa to migrate to New Zealand, making it
difficult to gauge how serious the interest is.
INZ’s websites experienced similar spikes in 2016 after the Brexit vote and
Donald Trump’s election.
However, migration applications from Britain and the United States declined
slightly in the following two years.
Immigration Minister Iain Lees-Galloway said he was not surprised at the
latest rush of interest from Australia.
“New Zealand is a wonderful destination full of possibilities,” he told
reporters.
“I’m not at all surprised. If Australians are looking at us, that’s great.”
It comes after a survey found earlier this month that the most trusted
politician among Australians was not one of their own but New Zealand Prime
Minister Jacinda Ardern, by a considerable margin.
BSS/AFP/MSY/0935 hrs