Almost 100,000 New Zealanders have moved to Australia in the past two years, as higher wages, bigger retirement savings and stronger career opportunities prove too tempting to ignore. For Australia, the surge is helping ease chronic shortages of nurses, police officers and other skilled workers. For New Zealand, it’s fueling concerns about a growing brain drain ahead of a November election.

In this episode, Chris Bourke speaks with Wellington Bureau Chief Ainsley Thomson about why Australia is winning the battle for Kiwi talent, how employers are actively recruiting across the Tasman, and what the migration boom means for both economies.