AUSSIE EXODUS

Rotorua is on track to lose more than 1000 residents to Australia this year - but it's hoped there could be long-term benefits for the city.

Better job opportunities, wages and weather are luring locals across the Tasman, with Brisbane and the Gold Coast the top choice, followed by Melbourne, Sydney and the mining areas of Western Australia. Between January and September this year, 819 people left Rotorua for Australia. During the same period, only 155 people made the opposite move, resulting in an overall loss of 664 people. If migration continues at this rate, 1092 people will have moved from Rotorua to Australia by the end of 2008, replaced by just 207 arriving from across the Tasman, leaving the district down by 885 people. That's 46 per cent up on last year when Rotorua lost 875 residents to Australia but gained 270.

Destination Rotorua's economic development general manager Grant Kilby said the exodus would add to skills shortages in the city but could have long-term benefits. "I am sure it will have an effect on the local workforce and skills are going overseas but some [people] may be going to upskill and will return."

Nationally, migration to Australia is at its highest rate since records started in 1978, and it encompasses all age groups and occupations. Service and sales workers were most likely to move, closely followed by professionals and trades workers.

Young people aged 15 to 29 made up 40 per cent of the exodus in September and the 30 to 44 and 0 to 14 age groups each contributed 23 per cent, suggesting families make up nearly a quarter of transtasman migrators.

Rob Ferris, Bay of Plenty/Waikato sales manager for Allied Movers, said a lot of relocation jobs to Australia from Rotorua involved families looking to capitalise on better employment opportunities and wages in Australia and people preferring the lifestyle and weather.

Older couples often joined children who had settled there.

Mr Ferris said Brisbane and the Gold Coast were the top destinations, followed by Melbourne, Sydney and the mining areas of Western Australia.

"Rotorua and Tauranga are our two strongest areas for international exports.

Some people are nearly doubling their wages over there."

Moana Yates, a New Zealander working for the Gold Coast City Council, said Kiwis were welcomed in Australia and fitted in to the casual lifestyle.

New Zealanders make up 8 per cent of the Gold Coast population and Ms Yates said the similar cultures made it easy to settle.

Australians also find it easy to come to Rotorua and Settlement Support NZ co-ordinator Heather McAllister said they made up 21 per cent of new overseas residents here.

Owhata and Lynmore are the most popular places for Aussies to settle and Ms McAllister said reasons for moving to Rotorua were to be close to friends and family, lifestyle and weather - much the same reasons why people moved to Australia.