Going, going, gone

More than 80,000 people voted with their feet in the past 12 months, says National's Immigration spokesman, Lockwood Smith. 

Dr Smith is commenting on the latest migration figures which continue to paint a very grim picture for the New Zealand economy.

"We have to go back as far as 1979 to find a year ended June in which more people left New Zealand for greener pastures."

Dr Smith says Australia continues to be the destination of choice, with more than 45,000 people leaving New Zealand for Australia in the year ended June.

"Completing the damning indictment of this Labour Government's failure to deliver for hard-working Kiwis is a net loss of 31,923 people to Australia in the year ended June.

"This is the highest-ever net loss to Australia for any year ended June and makes for very bad news when coupled with the highest-ever total loss to Australia for a year ended June.

"Two record losses to Australia illustrate the great divide between our countries.

"One encourages and rewards individual effort by maintaining successive annual tax cuts. The other doesn't believe in letting taxpayers keep more of their hard-earned money and wants them to feel grateful for finally promising it will cut taxes in election year.

"In times where soaring living costs are coupled with wasteful government spending to produce burgeoning interest rates, record numbers of people are showing just how much they trust this out-of-touch Labour Government."