Housing and financial insecurity are widespread and discrimination is common, with nearly half of New Zealanders in Australia reporting they feel they do not belong.
Record numbers of New Zealanders are arriving in Australia seeking work and higher wages, but many arrive ill-prepared, facing financial stress, housing insecurity, and limited access to support.
The Nerang Neighbourhood Centre (NNC), a long-standing Gold Coast charity, has been stepping in to help, including funding return flights for those needing to go back home.
Established in 1991, the centre provides free services including food relief, youth programmes, financial assistance, counselling and laundry and shower facilities, helping vulnerable residents navigate tough times.
General manager Vicky Rose said the surge of New Zealanders needing help has intensified in recent years, particularly following Covid-19 and the Queensland state government’s 2025 policy restricting housing assistance for non-citizens.
“People are coming ill prepared. Not having enough money behind them, no real plan and also not putting money away for a rainy day; literally, it rains a lot here and especially at Christmas time,” Rose told NewsWire.
“So, on top of the state holidays, if you are a casual outside worker and it rains, you don’t work and if you don’t work, you don’t get paid.”
For some, the centre becomes a lifeline, particularly for those who find themselves with no money, no accommodation, or no family support.
The centre’s work comes amid an unprecedented wave of New Zealand migration to Australia.
Provisional data show 73,900 New Zealand citizens left their home country in the year to August 2025, with 58% choosing Australia, drawn by higher wages and economic opportunities.
Australia’s GDP (gross domestic product) per capita sits at about A$64,400 ($78,844), compared with A$48,000 in New Zealand.
For young workers in sectors like hospitality and construction, the financial gains are immediate.
But behind the numbers, experts say many New Zealanders face structural disadvantages.
Most arrive on the Special Category Visa (SCV), which allows indefinite stay but limits access to benefits such as unemployment payments, housing support and disability assistance.
Until a 2023 policy change, SCV holders had to compete for permanent residency, leaving a “perpetual probation” that prevented many from accessing social protections.
“The new Queensland government has taken a very firm stance on essentially not providing aid to non-citizens. This does not include domestic violence, there is always help there, it just does not extend to housing and those agencies with state funding have had to withdraw their help,” Rose said.
“So our wee centre has seen an escalation of people needing help across the board but especially with regard to housing,” she said.
In these cases, the NNC can help organise return flights to New Zealand, giving clients a second chance to rebuild their lives back home.
“It starts with a conversation about their circumstances so we can elicit where they are at and how they got there. We ask them ultimately what they want to happen or where they want to be,” Rose said.
“Our job then is to offer information and provide all of the options available to them here, including the option of returning to NZ.”
She said these conversations occur two to three times a week, though most people take time to process their options before taking action.
“At that point, if they have chosen to return to NZ, we will refer them to Homeward or the International Organisation for Migration first.
“If they are declined and come back to us, we will then instigate our own emergency relief funding process. We have done this probably on average once or twice a month.”
Before arranging flights, the centre carefully considers a client’s circumstances, including whether they have other support or employment opportunities elsewhere in Australia, and requires evidence such as bank statements, Centrelink letters or ID.
Once flights are arranged, the NNC continues to provide guidance on services back in New Zealand.
“I will give them details of all the support services available to them in the area they are going back to [in New Zealand] including what Work and Income New Zealand will need, but generally people are returning to their home town and/or family and will organise supports when they get there,” Rose said.
The transtasman migration also has serious social implications.
Research shows life expectancy for New Zealand-born residents in Australia is seven to eight years shorter than for Australian-born residents.
Housing and financial insecurity are widespread and discrimination is common, with nearly half of New Zealanders in Australia reporting they feel they do not belong.
Despite the challenges, the NNC has been a vital bridge for those in need, offering practical support while helping clients navigate government systems both in Australia and New Zealand.
Rose said the centre works closely with the New Zealand High Commission, advising on complex cases and alerting officials to emerging trends.
Her advice to prospective migrants is straightforward: come prepared.
“Do your research and come prepared to support yourself financially for at least three months,” Rose said.
“Don’t rely solely on the information provided by family or friends here, find out for yourself. Understand this is not our country and for all intents and purposes, it is a foreign country.
“Would you go to Italy without money and a plan?”
Sign up to Herald Premium Editor’s Picks, delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Editor-in-Chief Murray Kirkness picks the week’s best features, interviews and investigations. Sign up for Herald Premium here.