Australia Vs. New Zealand

It would be fair to say that the rivalry between Australia and New Zealand carries over well past any sporting arena and in recent years, both countries have been in a quietly competitive race to attract talent, with very different approaches. Australia is just three hours away from New Zealand (well the closest part) and for any prospective migrant offers many of the same benefits and attractions that New Zealand does, all of which form part of their motivation for moving.

However they are still very different countries with different environments, people, economic conditions and of course visa processes. Over the years, they have borrowed from each other in terms of visa rules and settings offering the would-be migrant quite different options to pursue. In many ways, both countries are aiming for the same thing - to attract long-term, highly skilled migrants, whilst also being able to supplement short-term gaps in the local labour market.

I am often asked by potential NZ candidates, whether I can assist with Australia and whilst I have working knowledge of the policy and process, I have always been quick to clarify that New Zealand is where I hold my black-belt in terms of the rules. There are a lot of advisers who suggest they can do both, however I know from previous experience that attempting to master both sets of rules, makes you not quite as good at either of them.

This article is less about the process for both or offering suggestions as to which visa to pursue, but more about comparing the two, for any people who might be on the fence - and as biased as I am, given where I live and what I do, to try and make this as balanced as possible, I am writing it whilst spending some time exploring Tasmania - the little island off the coast of Australia. After all it wouldn’t be fair at all to provide this sort of commentary without doing the research.

Two Of The Best

For those that have the choice of either NZ or Aus, it often comes down to either having been there before or having a close family connection.

Pros and Cons

In some ways, deciding between whether to move to Australia or New Zealand is a bit like deciding on whether to eat a red apple or a green one (NZ is the green apple obviously). Both countries are incredibly similar in so many ways, that it would be hard to distinguish them in a line up. However they are different and that does involve a bit of weighing and balancing. That is of course if you have the option. Considering Australia has a much lower age cut-off for skilled migrants (45 years), for many people New Zealand is in fact the only option (our cut-off is 56). There are also quite different processes involved in terms of the criteria, leaning more heavily on having specific qualifications and being sponsored by individual states as a part of the process. Securing employment still plays a role, but often in the backseat, as opposed to New Zealand where that job offer is usually holding the steering wheel.

However if you do have that choice, it can be a tricky one to make. Australia does come with the advantage of being a much bigger country, with a larger scale economy and in turn that potentially offers more scope for work or variety of work. People are also quite quick to comment that your earning power is greater in Australia (based on that larger, more diverse economy) and in a lot of sectors that is true. However there are always negatives to the positives. Costs of living, particularly in terms of property in the main centers, and even ignoring the current economic turbulence is often higher. Australia operates on a State-based system, where often the visa you secure requires you to live in a particular State - not always the one you would prefer. There is an increased level of beauracracy with a two-tier Government system and of course, half the wildlife is out to kill you.

On the other side of the Tasman, New Zealand offers a much smaller economy, and as a consequence less opportunities, but also slightly more affordability in certain areas (not necessarily Auckland). The weather in New Zealand is often more temperamental, but in the same breath we dont suffer from heat-waves and nowhere near as many bushfires. Oh and our wildlife is more likely to offer you a cup of tea than put you six feet under.

The reality is, that all of these things are what I refer to as “peripheral” because if your main point of moving, is to secure a safer place to live, with a more certain future, better education for your children and an improved standard of living, both countries will offer that - just differently.

I tend to find that the deciding vote often goes to how familiar people are with either country or whether they have family based there. Many people travel to either NZ or Australia and fall in love (not with their partner necessarily but with the country) and then that forms the basis of their desire to return long-term. Alternatively they have close family who have already fallen in love with either place and that creates the link for the next person in the familial chain.

Having travelled to Australia many times and being here now, I can easily understand why people would want to live here, largely because it feels a lot like New Zealand. The weather is good, the lifestyle is very similar and we have the same general attitude to life and living. I would however suggest that the people are different, well some of them and perhaps that is a consequence of being a bigger country. Don’t get me wrong, they are good folks, but somehow New Zealand just feels that little bit friendlier - whether it be customs at the airport, or staff in a supermarket. Of course that might be a little of my bias shining through but I would back it by saying, I am not the only person who has made that comment.

Lifestyle Options

Whatever your reason for moving, you do have to balance out some of the peripheral stuff, and personal preference against some of the more practical decisions. For example and probably the easiest one to consider is which one is going to let you in? In years gone by migrants selected their country of choice, nowadays it is the country that is often selecting you. Visa rules over the years have become more complex, more restrictive and also more selective. Before you set your heart on either location, perhaps work out which location is going to accept you as the next new arrival.

Creepy crawlies…

There are a lot less things in New Zealand that are out to eat or poison you, but the weather isn’t quite so good - decisions, decisions…

Beyond that, both countries do offer very similar lifestyles, but I have to say that things such as the weather and whether that thing crawling over the back of the couch is venomous or not, are often the things that people talk about the most, which is quite ironic. I had a consultation with a South African family recently who had been the victim of not one but three acts of crime and yet they were debating whether to make the move, based on the amount of rain we get in New Zealand or the fact that Australia gets too hot. I did want to suggest that usually neither of those two things is likely to steal your car or break in to your house…but thought better of it.

Lifestyle choices are important, because you dont want to move somewhere that ultimately you wont want to stay long-term, but then equally there are some sacrifices you might need to make, most of which you will be able to offset with an umbrella or a big can of bug-spray (a really big can if you go to Australia). The key factor is appreciating that in both countries, you will be able to achieve something different and potentially better to what you might have now, which is really why people move in the first place.

As I sit here and enjoy the Tasmanian climate (which is not that different to Auckland right now), I realise that no matter which of these two countries you might end up in, if you are looking to move, you are doing pretty well if you make it either of them. I have travelled extensively including many trips to South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia and other such places…and I would say (in my biased view of course) that none of them compare to NZ and Australia would come an incredibly close second on that list.

Of course for many applicants, including many of my clients, the choice is far simpler, just get me out of where I am - anywhere else will do…something I tend to hear more often now as conditions in those other countries continue to deteriorate. Which then comes back to working out which one you qualify for as a first step.

And for anyone looking to find the answer to “which one is easier” - good luck. The reality is neither country is “easy” to get into, they are just different. Australia might not require a job offer upfront, but you will still need one to live and New Zealand doesn’t have a State driven sponsorship process with a myriad of different settings for each. Apart from the age cutoff there are positives and negatives with both, and opportunities in each as well. However start with working out which of those apply to you, before you start wearing the local rugby jersey.

For now, I am going to enjoy a little sample of this part of Australia, which incidentally is a superb place to visit (even if you really want to live in NZ) and I might just take a few photos to add to next weeks article.

Until next week!