British migrants flee New Zealand citing expensive rentals and heavy traffic

Sunday, 25 August 2019

The Detail: New figures show the government has slashed resident visa numbers to the lowest seen in the last two decades.

Migrants from the UK have blamed 'terrible' public transport and unfriendly Kiwi 'cliques' for leaving New Zealand.

British expats also pointed to costly rentals and heavy traffic in Auckland as reasons for fleeing the country.

The comments were made in a Facebook group where Brits in New Zealand offer each other advice and support.

Hereford couple Marie Edge and Tim Griffiths said costly rent and terrible transport networks made living in New Zealand too hard.

But official statistics also showed that the number of British departures from New Zealand was on the rise, while the number of arrivals has fallen.

United Kingdom migrants make up the third largest departure group in New Zealand. Around 6000 returned home in the 12 months to June 2019 which was an increase of 200 on the previous year.

6000 British migrants left New Zealand over the last 12 months, suggesting the Hereford couple are not alone in their complaints.

Meanwhile, there were 8929 British arrivals in the 12 months to June, down 2933 from the previous year or 24.7 per cent.

Among those leaving were Tim Griffiths, 33, and Marie Edge, 38, a couple from Hereford, England, who told Stuff they had hoped to start a family in Auckland.

But Griffiths, who works in construction, said 'abnormal' rental costs made life difficult.

'When we first saw what the rent was we just couldn’t believe it. We had to significantly lower our expectations of housing quality,' he said.

Auckland’s median rent is $560 per week according to the Trade Me Rental Price Index, a steep increase on rentals in Hereford which go for $300.

Edge said commuting on public transport was a nightmare.

'The bus network is so disjointed, it's just not feasible to spend an hour and a half to get around town,' she said.

'In Auckland you need a car if you want to get around. But then when you do drive you’re just stuck in traffic for hours.'

Auckland has the second worst traffic in Oceania according to a recent study, with congestion increasing travel times by 29 per cent.

Another British migrant echoed similar sentiments in a Facebook post that prompted many replies.

'My wife and I have been in New Zealand for three years now but it's just not for us. Has anyone else done the same?'

Many of the comments expressed views similar to the Hereford couple.

'It was hard to make friends. The cliques are so hard to break into - it just wasn’t a friendly place,' a person wrote.

'I’ve been here for 10 years and still want to go home. But my family are here now so I’m stuck,' another wrote.

'The rental houses are c… mostly, but if you expect everything to be like the UK you’ll never be happy,' one commenter said.

Other migrants expressed some positivity.

'It’s hard to find a better place to raise your kids than New Zealand. Your children's upbringing is a lot more important than money,' a migrant wrote.

'I hated it for about eight months mate, but it grows on you.'