Shocking data out today which shows more than 1 million New Zealanders are actively considering leaving the country shows the Government is taking Kiwis backwards, National’s Deputy Leader Nicola Willis says.

The latest Consumer Snapshot from MYOB shows 1 million Kiwis are considering moving overseas, and 200,000 have already made plans to leave. Forty-four percent said they are considering moving for ‘a better quality of life or the cost of living is better overseas’.

“New Zealanders are seeing their future elsewhere because they are going backwards under Labour. We have a cost of living crisis, our healthcare system is falling over, wages aren’t keeping up with inflation, owning a home is out of many people’s reach, violent crime is up and we have a labour shortage.

“It’s no surprise that people are looking to move overseas, it’s what National MPs are hearing from New Zealanders throughout the country. The Government tries to claim that it’s just young Kiwis going on their OE, but a million Kiwis looking to leave the country isn’t an experience, it’s an exodus.

“While this Government likes to blame the country’s economic downturn on covid and the war in Ukraine, the reality is their focus on spin rather than delivery has massively contributed to the cost of living crisis that is driving Kiwis out.

“Their current approach of more spending, more taxes and more regulations has New Zealanders leaving in droves. The Government needs to deliver a plan that will grow the economy.

“A National Government would focus on removing bottlenecks in our economy – improving immigration pathways, eliminating deadweight regulations, and lowering the tax burden on Kiwis.”