The Grass Looks Greener Until You Run The Numbers

The “Australia looks better” story is everywhere right now, but we wanted to slow it down and actually test it. Plenty of Kiwis are heading over the ditch for higher pay and bigger cities, yet the grass isn’t automatically greener. We talk honestly about why Australia feels so successful, where it genuinely is ahead, and what New Zealand quietly offers that people forget until they leave.

A big part of the gap comes down to retirement settings. Australia’s compulsory superannuation has had a massive head start, so many people retiring there now have serious money behind them. KiwiSaver is still building momentum, and we unpack what that means for the next 10 to 15 years and for New Zealand’s ability to reinvest locally. Then we zoom out to the question underneath it all: are “opportunities” a location, or a habit? We share stories from uni life, part-time work, internships, and joining things even when it’s awkward, because that’s often where careers and confidence actually start.

We also get into the lived stuff: how New Zealand can feel kinder and more community-driven, how ACC changes the risk of everyday life, and why a smaller market can be an advantage when you’re building a personal brand or launching a business from the ground up. We even cover the classic Kiwi perks and they matter more than you’d think: no snakes, a moderate climate, and that safe-haven feeling. Finally, we talk property and policy differences, including stamp duty in Australia and why some expats are still investing back home.

If you’re thinking about moving to Australia, doing an OE, or deciding where to build your future, this chat will help you make the call with clearer eyes. Subscribe, share it with a mate who’s packing their bags, and leave us a review with your take: is the grass actually greener?

Transcript

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Is The Grass Really Greener

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Is the grass really greener on the other side? Today James and I are gonna jump in and be controversial and protect New Zealand. Should I stay or should I go now? Oh wow, I didn't see that coming. Should I stay or should I go now? Alright.

Why Kiwis Look Across The Ditch

SPEAKER_01 0:27

So a lot of Kiwis are fleeing home and going over the ditch because they think the grass is greener on the other side. But is it?

SPEAKER_00 0:35

I don't know if it is greener because they don't get as much rain as us, right? So it's always greener here. Okay. Um but let's look at it in the way that we were meaning. I don't I I think it's it's it is it's it's it's quite hard living so close to such a successful country as Australia.

Superannuation Vs KiwiSaver Futures

SPEAKER_00 0:55

They are quite a wealthy country. And the main the the one one of the big things that they've done well ahead of us is with their compulsory super. They are about 25 years ahead of us in that regard. So because they've started that and it's well advanced, those people are retire people that are retiring now are retiring with a lot of money. Um and that's one of the big differences. We're just getting that started. So if you can think of us in 10 to 15 years' time, we are gonna be well we're gonna be not in a similar position because we're not putting as much aside yet, but we are on the right pathway. You know, and that and a lot of that money that's gonna be going into that KiwiSaver is gonna be massive, and that's gonna get reinvested, uh not all of it, a portion of it, into New Zealand, and to drive what New Zealand needs to make it a a successful country. So in that regard, I do think we've got a lot going for us, and really positive about staying here and making the most of it and having you there's so many opportunities here.

Opportunities Are Where You Make Them

SPEAKER_01 2:11

Do you think there are more opportunities here? Or do you think opportunities are where you make them?

SPEAKER_00 2:17

Yeah, I think the second the second one.

SPEAKER_01 2:20

Whether it's here or there.

SPEAKER_00 2:21

Yeah. I think if you're gonna make it's like if you think back to IPC, right? When we worked at IPC, and there's some pros and cons to that place. Some of the students that did really well there.

SPEAKER_01 2:33

Like me.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Like yourself, some of the ones that but those ones that you know, in international environment, the the ones that really went out and tried different things and got involved in clubs and they got there's some people that have been really, really successful.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

You're right. But then the majority majority of them were just stayed in their rooms, didn't really hang out, didn't really socialize, and were truly homesick and they thought, you know, much more. You're right, you're right. I think opportunities are where you make them. And looking back at my uni days, even though I always believed in Cs get degrees, I was they do. I was busy. I was working. I always wanted to have a part-time job because I wanted to make extra money to spend on, didn't care what I was spending on, didn't know about saving back then, but it was all about not staying in the room because I knew if I stayed in the room, I would degrade. Yeah, and I needed to be out and I needed to be involved. Oh my gosh, I was involved with the choir, even though I can't really sing. So that's why it was funny that you were singing.

SPEAKER_00 3:38

Honestly surprised that you were involved with that. Was he like some handsome guy in it or something?

SPEAKER_01 3:43

None, not at all, but uh, we went around retirement villages singing songs, and I think that was the only saving grace.

SPEAKER_00 3:50

I say you angle now. Yeah, they couldn't hear us well.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

I did the singing, I did uh and I did get involved a lot with helping newer students that were coming across, uh coming abroad, and um just hanging out with them. You know, if there was any competitions or anything, I would get involved with that, just for the fun of it, really. And I worked a lot, yeah. I really worked a lot and as a waitress in the restaurant. Wow. And I think when I think back about the opportunities, there were students that were complaining they couldn't get jobs. Yeah, yet I had a part-time job and I also signed up to various internships because the university would offer you internships to take up. I think I went and did internship as a florist. Yep, hated it. I think I killed a few flowers. I did internship at ACC. Okay, hated it. Scanning documents all day long. That was not my idea of fun, but that exposed me to what sort of jobs were available.

SPEAKER_00 4:44

Yeah. If I wanted to do that, you've got to try things, right?

SPEAKER_01 4:46

Exactly. And

Building A Personal Brand In NZ

SPEAKER_01 4:47

I think New Zealand has a lot of opportunities for people really starting up their business and really building that personal brand where you can do really well in New Zealand, I think, is building that personal brand. Versus Australia to me seems much, much bigger. And penetrating that market could be a bit harder as a personal brand. Versus here, you know, I'm thinking about like carpety, right? If you wanted to have a personal brand in something, locals really get behind you and really support you. Yep. Like they really want you to do well. If you a lot of businesses here that do really well, especially in the food industry, they all started from markets. Yeah, they would go to the markets, they would start having a little stall, you start talking to locals, and then they support you, and then you grow bigger from there. Versus, I feel like in Australia, maybe it might be the same case there. I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

I think with Australia, it's just a tougher country. People, I wanna don't want to use the word, but they're just maybe more resilient and harder because it's a lot more competitive. Whereas here, we maybe it's just a bit of a nicer, I don't know how how to describe it.

SPEAKER_01 5:51

It's a I like New Zealand for that reason.

SPEAKER_00 5:54

It's not, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:56

They're more compassionate. I find New Zealanders are kinder and compassionate in general. Although the times are changing, I have seen, you know, some uglier sides of humanity coming out in recent times. And I think COVID was a pivotal moment in the history for us where the gloves were off, the masks were on, and you know, a lot of people unfortunately have divvied up the ships of where they are. Yeah. But in general, you're right. I find people in Australia a bit harsher, yeah. And people in New Zealand a bit more softer.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

Yeah, and that's generally a good thing, I think. And there's

Kindness, Competition, And The Safety Net

SPEAKER_00 6:32

a there's a bit more of a say there's there's a whole lot of things in New Zealand that we have that you're not gonna get another in like you mentioned that you worked at ACC. You know, how many other places where you have an access? I had I had a client uh that I was talking to today. So they had a a football accident injury happened on the field, ACC steps in and pays. You know, how many people do we see that are supported by ACC? It's a very I don't think you get that kind of thing in any other country. There's a there's a lot of special little things that we do like that, initiatives and supporting agencies that you're not gonna get in other places.

SPEAKER_01 7:13

So we've got quite a good safety net, and I don't know sometimes if having a good safety net is a is a is a great thing because Again, it's it can be bad and good, because again, I come from a country where it doesn't have any safety net, and to come to New Zealand realise how much of a safety net is here. Again, you know, depends how you use that safety net.

No Snakes, Better Climate, Safer Feeling

SPEAKER_01 7:35

Now, in terms of what else is going well for New Zealand, I always think of snakes. Yeah, we don't have snakes, which is great.

SPEAKER_00 7:42

That is pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 7:43

I wouldn't want to go and hang out my washing and have a snake say hello to me, like in Australia.

SPEAKER_00 7:49

They've got poisonous spiders and things like that, don't they? Yeah, they crawl in your ears and while you're sleeping. Oh my god. And then they lay their eggs and stuff.

SPEAKER_01 7:56

Oh, thank you, James, for that visual. But I think we and the climate, honestly, I really think we've got very good climate here. It's not too hot, it's not too cold, it's just beautiful, and maybe I'm just biased because we're in carpets.

SPEAKER_00 8:12

It's pretty moderate. The temperatures, it's it's pretty moderate here.

SPEAKER_01 8:14

And we had snow the other day. That was cool. That was cool to see the snow. And again, you can fly from New Zealand to other places in the world. Often New Zealand is seen as not even on the maps or the end of the world. But yes, it does take a little bit longer to get to places, and I always think of New Zealand as a safe haven, you know, like nobody will ever think of attacking us because we're just so small.

SPEAKER_00 8:38

Yeah, and yeah, we're neutral.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

We're neutral, we've got the penguins.

SPEAKER_00 8:42

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 8:43

Yeah, I don't

OEs, Coming Home, And Perspective

SPEAKER_01 8:44

know. I feel like as a young person, and I think of my children often, as a young person, maybe it is good for them to go and explore those bigger countries, and you know, and that's what a lot of New Zealanders do. They go away, they have the OEs, they go to UK, Europe, USA, Australia, but they always come back home. Yeah, they always hope.

SPEAKER_00 9:02

I think that's really important because that's where you get that's where you realize that that's at New Zealand is a pretty cool place. Yeah. You need to go over and you need to experience those other places and how it all works. And when something goes pear-shaped like COVID, a lot of New Zealanders came home because they weren't supported overseas.

SPEAKER_01 9:19

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:19

So it is a good passport to have.

SPEAKER_01 9:21

Yeah.

Property, Stamp Duty, And Tax Gaps

SPEAKER_01 9:22

So I often encourage people, you know, buy a house here, keep it, rent it out if you need to go away and then come back if you need to as well. You know, you always have the roots. If you have a house here, you can always come back to something. And funny enough, I actually had a lot of expats buying property in New Zealand while still being overseas. Yeah. So a lot of um my clients in Australia heavily investing in New Zealand right now. Yeah. Because we don't have things like stamp duty. Yeah. So in Australia, when you buy a property, you have stamp duty that you have to pay. Yeah. And lucky for us, we don't have that. So that makes property purchase much cheaper.

SPEAKER_00 9:58

And we don't have like really capital gain, you know, like they do overseas, the capital gains tax either, though that might be changing. But there are a whole lot of things, eh? Like that. We don't have an inheritance tax either. So if you think of that's quite big in most other countries, whether that will change in the future, uh it's a hard one. But so there's all sorts of things, eh, that we don't have here that you just need to take a bit of a deep breath before you make that big jump. I'm not going anywhere soon. No,

Noosa Plans And A Short Break

SPEAKER_00 10:32

I don't think. We're going to Noosa.

SPEAKER_01 10:34

We are going to Noosa's, but we are coming back. We will take a bit of a break from the episodes while we're away, and maybe we can record one while we're there. Yeah.

unknown 10:41

We'll stay there.

SPEAKER_00 10:42

On the beach.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

On the beach. Beautiful. Stay tuned, guys. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 10:46

There you go.