Kiwis in Oz ‘unhappy’

New Zealanders in Australia are unhappier than any other type of immigrants.

They also distrust Australian politicians and government institutions more than almost any other group.

A new comprehensive survey of experiences of Australian life, released by the Scanlon Foundation and Monash University on Wednesday, also finds nearly three in 10 Kiwis say the thing they like least about Australia is the racism and discrimination there.

Report author Andrew Markus says that although New Zealanders do relatively well economically, there was a strong sense of discrimination because they did not get access to the same welfare and government assistance as other immigrants. ‘‘I don’t think a lot of people necessarily plan that well so they arrive and then later they find out [don’t get access to services],’’ he said.

‘‘If an Australian goes to New Zealand they get full rights but they come here and they don’t get full rights.’’

The survey covered more than 10,000 people.