Tauranga couple Dr Kevin Chen (left) and James Chen are leaving New Zealand for a better life overseas. Photo / Supplied
Tauranga couple Dr Kevin Chen (left) and James Chen are leaving New Zealand for a better life overseas. Photo / Supplied
Dr Kevin Chen and James Chen have booked one-way tickets from New Zealand to Thailand in July, with no plans to return.
The couple are disillusioned with life in New Zealand, and Kevin hit burnout in his role as a senior medical officer in the public health system.
Migrant departures from New Zealand reached a new record for an annual period in January.
Disillusioned with the “persistent meh” feeling of life in New Zealand, Tauranga couple Dr Kevin Chen and James Chen are off to seek a life overseas where “everything’s at your fingertips”.
They are leaving these shores for a country where they can ditch their cars and easily use public transport,enjoy more dining and entertainment options, and order an evening coffee.
The couple spoke to the Bay of Plenty Times about their decision to book one-way tickets to Thailand in July, in the hope it would help political leaders see why so many Kiwis were leaving.
The number of people leaving New Zealand long-term hit a new record in the year to January.
Stats NZ provisional data for the year to January 2025 showed migrant departures up 18% on the prior year to 122,800, the highest on record for an annual period.
Monthly data suggested the brain drain had peaked, with net migration dropping.
The Chens have lived in Tauranga since 2018, and married in 2021.
Their reasons for leaving were a combination of feeling their nation had become more expensive and politically divided, while their city felt like it was going backwards and lacking vibrancy. Then there was the health system.
Kevin, 37, is a senior physician at Tauranga Hospital specialising in general medicine and infectious diseases. James, 31, is a senior marketing and communications consultant.
Dr Kevin Chen, 37, is a senior physician at Tauranga Hospital and is a dual-trained specialist in general medicine and infectious diseases. Photo / Supplied
Kevin – who has worked in public health nearly 15 years – said he reduced his full-time hours to 0.85 FTE (full-time equivalent) last year due to burnout, partly attributable to low staffing and resourcing.
The senior medical officer previously worked 50 to 60 hours a week at the hospital, then spent a couple of hours “most nights” at home doing administrative work.
“It’s a pretty full-on job … and quite draining most of the time.”
Reducing his hours helped a bit, but he worked on his days off to keep up.
Tauranga couple Dr Kevin Chen (left) and James Chen married in 2021. Photo / Supplied
Kevin planned to take some time off in Thailand, while James would continue working online.
The couple were working on business ideas, including a medical education company, Kevin said.
“Most of medical education comes from on-the-job teaching, which is now suffering because we just don’t have time to actually teach as we go anymore.”
Kevin said the couple enjoyed going out for coffee, dinner, entertainment and socialising with friends, but found options limiting in Tauranga.
“We’re not massive outdoorsy people ... We don’t go and run around the Mount.”
When he lived in Christchurch, he would often meet colleagues after work for coffee or dessert at 8pm or 9pm.
“You just can’t do that here because nothing is open then.”
James Chen, 31, is a senior marketing and communications consultant. Photo / Supplied
James said the cost of living was part of the reason for leaving.
He spent $120 per week in parking and tolls when he worked in the CBD – “a huge amount of money”.
In the evenings, public transport was not an option due to travel time and schedules, and Ubers could cost $150 for a night out in the CBD or Mount Maunganui, he said.
James said the “dead” CBD lacked vibrancy and traffic was “always a nightmare”.
Tauranga couple Dr Kevin Chen (right) and James Chen enjoy dining, entertainment and socialising. Photo / Supplied
Kevin said they went to Thailand on a two-week holiday a couple of years ago. They loved the culture and talked about moving there one day.
James said in Thailand, “everything’s at your fingertips”.
The couple would be paying $1500 to $2000 monthly for a balcony apartment with gym and pool access.
Health NZ Te Whatu Ora Bay of Plenty operations group director Pauline McGrath said departing staff were welcome to share their feedback, and the government agency was grateful for the hard work of Tauranga and Whakatāne Hospital teams.
Recruitment was a “well-documented challenge” across the health sector and not unique to New Zealand.
McGrath said Tauranga Hospital had 191 contracted FTE senior medical officers. It was also recruiting 27 positions, eight recruits had signed contracts and were to confirm start dates, and five were at the interview stage.
It had interest from overseas specialists who were doing interviews, reference checks, and other processes to move to New Zealand.
She expected “extensive” recruitment efforts to “yield further appointments in coming months”.
Western Bay economic development agency Priority One workforce and policy general manager Greg Simmonds said attracting a skilled workforce to Tauranga and retaining those people was “critical” for the city’s sustainable economic development.
Priority One worked with 11 secondary schools and local tertiary providers to connect students and teachers with industry and help develop pathways into local employment, including the health sector.
Simmonds said its efforts were also about ensuring Tauranga was “attractive to talent who have choice about where they choose to live and work”.
This included ensuring the city had a strong employer reputation and the right infrastructure and amenities, he said.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.
