Aaliyah Fountain has traded life in the Bay of Islands for the lucrative benefits of FIFO mining work in Perth. “I do remember getting my first pay cheque and genuinely thinking it must have been a mistake,” Fountain says. Youngsun An, aged 28, works as a software engineer in Sydney after studying at the University of Auckland. Auckland University migration professor Francis Collins has extensively studied international migration for the past two decades and says the concept of a brain drain to Australia does deserve attention. Yerin An is settling into Melbourne life well but says she misses New Zealand's nature.

Source: New Zealand Herald February 28, 2026 17:57 UTC