the grass is always greener...

It seems that bush fires, floods and cyclones in Australia, not to mention heat, dust, flies and things that give you very nasty bites aren't enough to deter people wanting bigger salaries there than they get in NZ.

An article on the nzherald.co.nz website states that New Zealand's "brain drain" of skilled workers across the Tasman looks set to worsen as big Australian companies arrive in Auckland offering "fantastic job opportunities and lifestyles".

Oz Jobs Expo, to be held at the ASB Showgrounds in Epsom, Auckland, on 12 and 13 February, is being heavily promoted through full-page advertisements in newspapers. Jason Clayton, the New Zealander behind the event, said his company, Custom Employment Events, had 24,000 New Zealanders on its books and expected up to 7,500 would attend the expo.

The expo offers would-be migrants the chance to meet with "the largest collective of employers offering a diverse range of job opportunities" with pay ranging from A$45,000 to A$400,000 ($58,000 to $514,000). 

However, these people may find the reality is that although wages for most jobs are higher in Australia than in NZ, so are prices, property prices in particular.  It's only those at or near the top of the ladder who are likely to be better off. For Googlers, there is a famous Robert Muldoon quote on the subject...