People are leaving New Zealand in record numbers as unemployment rises, interest rates remain high and economic growth is anaemic, government statistics show.
Data released by Statistics New Zealand on Tuesday showed that 131,200 people departed New Zealand in the year ended June 2024, provisionally the highest on record for an annual period. Around a third of these were headed to Australia.
While net migration, the number of those arriving minus those leaving, remains at high levels, economists also expect this to wane as the number of foreign nationals wanting to move to New Zealand falls due to the softer economy.
The data showed of those departing 80,174 were citizens, which was almost double the numbers seen leaving prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some does. A lot does even, but not the best country music, not by a long shot.
“Your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore”
Edit:
Figured I should share some tunes:
Cruel world - Willie Nelson for rdr2
Angel from Montgomery - John Prine, cover by Daniel Donato is also excellent
Boombox, hogkill blues, 1922 blues - all by Charlie Parr, all excellent. Hogkill blues is abt a strike in which union workers were killed by counter-strikers.
Prison Trilogy - Joan Baez - makes reference to the term wetback to refer to an immigrant (“his back was wet, but he thought he could get, some things to start a life”) but is otherwise an excellent song abt the fucked up American prison system
Lots of love, hope you enjoy at least one of these!!