New Zealand’s economic woes will come back to bite Jacinda Ardern

New Zealand has been voted the second worst country in the world to move to, according to a survey of immigrants encompassing most regions of the world. The survey, by the expatriate networking organisation InterNations, collated the responses of nearly 12,000 immigrants, living in 181 countries. It found that Mexico tops the list of the best country to live as an expat, while New Zealand ranked second worst, beating only Kuwait.

Survey respondents ranked their new countries based on criteria such as cost of living, safety, bureaucracy and quality of life. While New Zealand ranked 51 out of 52, its Trans-Tasman neighbour Australia received a credible ninth place, with people living there feeling that, overall, they receive fair compensation for their work, among other positive factors.

New Zealand’s 51st place in the survey was mostly due to lower wages and a high cost of living. In fact, when it came to the personal finance measures in the survey, the country was the worst performer out of all: half of respondents said their disposable household income was not enough to lead a comfortable life, as opposed to 28 per cent globally.

Overall, 35 per cent of expats said they were unhappy with the cost of living in their country, but dissatisfaction leapt to 75 per cent when it came to New Zealand, making it the worst country to move to in terms of personal finance.

New Zealand did not fare well when it came to working life, with respondents stating they do not feel that they are paid fairly.