Corey Ngaru and his partner Elian Lellimo left recession-hit New Zealand for the sunshine of Australia's Gold Coast just a week ago, bidding a teary farewell to family and friends as they seek better jobs and pay elsewhere.
"There's a bunch more options, more opportunities," said Ngaru, who estimates he will be able to earn three times more working as a builder on the Gold Coast as he would in New Zealand.
Ngaru and Lellimo, who is originally from Argentina, follow 128,700 people, who permanently left the Pacific nation of 5.3 million in 2024, provisionally the largest exodus on record.
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