Brain drain: New Zealand’s challenge to attract back talent – Editorial

Tauranga residents Dr Kevin Chen (left) and James Chen are leaving New Zealand for a better life overseas.

Editorial

THREE KEY FACTS

• Kevin and James Chen are leaving for Thailand, citing disillusionment with life in Tauranga.
• Migrant departures rose 16% to over 123,000 in the year to March, a record high.
• Economists warn low net migration could impact the housing market and economic recovery.

In the past week a new phrase has entered the lexicon – “persistent meh”.

A Tauranga couple used the words to describe their disillusionment with New Zealand and their perceived lack of options for living life to the full.

As we reported last week, Kevin and James Chen say they’re heading to Thailand next month and have no plans to return.

They’re not the only ones leaving Aotearoa behind.

In the year to March, migrant departures were up 16% on the previous year. More than 123,000 people left, the highest number on record.

Stats NZ classifies migrants as people changing their country of residence, regardless of their country of citizenship or visa status.

On top of record departures, there was a huge drop in net migration with the gain of 26,400 in the March 2025 year, well down from a gain of 100,400 in the March 2024 year, according to Stats NZ, which mainly attributed the fall to fewer migrant arrivals.

Economists have warned that low net migration could impact the housing market and economic recovery.

Beyond the numbers, it’s clear continuing to lose talented and skilled people overseas for indeterminate periods, if not forever, will leave gaping holes in the workforce and therefore the country’s ability to function efficiently and grow.

So what’s the solution?

Kevin and James Chen say they spoke to us in the hope it would help political leaders see why so many Kiwis were leaving.

Their dissatisfaction with New Zealand life stemmed from a range of factors, including that it’s too expensive and too politically divided.

They had major issues with the health system. Kevin Chen works within it as a senior physician at Tauranga Hospital and said he dealt with the effects of low staffing and resourcing.

Outside work, they’re unhappy with the lack of lifestyle options in Tauranga, a city they feel is going backwards.

There is, unfortunately, no magic bullet for the “meh”-ness of it all.

The economy and cost of living, not to mention the health system, are and will long be works in progress, and the growing political divide is a global issue (no doubt exacerbated by social media).

Tauranga is a fine city dealing with massive growth at pace, but despite that, growth may be a way off being big enough to offer the urban lifestyle that major population centres can offer.

This, in turn, could hamper the ability to recruit top health staff to fill existing gaps and those left by doctors leaving to find a better life.

The brain drain is not a new problem – there’s a big world to explore and many do. But most tend to come back. There’s no place like home after all.

The challenge ahead of us is striving to remain a country Kiwis want to come home to – a New Zealand that warrants a “yeah”, not a “meh”.

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