New Zealand’s Government has launched a bold recruitment drive aimed at Australians, with Finance Minister Nicola Willis utilizing a well-known Australian tourism slogan to attract new residents and investors.
Speaking to journalists in Wellington this week, Willis asked, “Where the bloody hell are ya? Come over.” She encouraged Australians to invest in New Zealand, highlighting that the country does not have a capital gains tax and maintains a lower inflation rate.
“This is a Government that isn’t planning to raid you with more taxes,” Willis stated, adding that the government would welcome more Australian investors, the return of more Kiwi citizens, and Australians who wish to invest their “talent, their time and activity” in the country.
Economic Pressures and the “Brain Drain”
The pitch comes as New Zealand grapples with significant economic challenges heading into the November 7 election. The coalition government has spent its first term battling a “trans-Tasman brain drain,” with Kiwi citizens emigrating in record numbers due to lacklustre conditions as Australia’s economy outperforms New Zealand’s.
Current economic indicators underscore the disparity: unemployment in New Zealand stands at 5.3%, which is near a decade-long high, while the Australian dollar has reached 13-year highs against the Kiwi dollar. However, this downturn has resulted in lower inflation and interest rates in New Zealand, as the central bank and Government attempt to stimulate growth.
Political Strategy and Australian Influence
Willis’ comments are viewed as both a “cheeky play” during an election year and a breach of diplomatic standards regarding comments on another country’s domestic politics. The coalition Government is currently campaigning against Labour’s proposals for a capital gains tax as it seeks a second term.
The National deputy leader further amplified this strategy in a social media blitz, linking the New Zealand Labour party’s plans to a broken promise by the Australian Labor party. “Take a look across the ditch,” she said, noting that the Australian Labor party promised not to expand its capital gains tax last year but is now doing so. “That is exactly what would happen in New Zealand.”
Influence from Australian politics is also evident in the opposition’s strategy. Labour leader Chris Hipkins has adopted elements of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s 2025 campaign, including:
- The National Medicard: A proposal for free healthcare where Hipkins stated Kiwis will need the card “and not your credit card” when visiting GPs—a line directly borrowed from Albanese.
- Campaign Slogans: The use of “Future Made in New Zealand,” which mimics the ALP’s “Future Made in Australia” motto from the previous year.
Diplomatic Relations
This latest exchange is part of a broader pattern of New Zealand Government comments regarding Australian politics. In 2024, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon remarked in parliament that “in my dealings with Australians it always pays to be incredibly simple” while discussing the removal of te reo Māori. Foreign Minister Winston Peters previously criticized Liberal instability, describing the “inexcusable churn” following the removal of Sussan Ley as leader as something that left him “aghast.”
Despite these public frictions, the current “trans-Tasman biff” is unlikely to cause a significant rift. The two nations maintain close ties, particularly between their top economic ministers. Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Treasurer Jim Chalmers are described as great friends who have jogged together during international summits; Willis also spent this year’s Anzac Day in Chalmers’ electorate.
