Getting away doesn’t mean forever
‘‘Brain drain’’ just sounds like our nation has self-esteem issues. Leaving this country does not mean rejecting it.
Kiwis love to travel. You could call it a cultural act, connecting to a historical sense of exploration, or curiosity, or just a deep need to be very far away from people.
Perhaps that’s why we chose an antisocial, nocturnal, flightless bird as our icon. There are other feathered choices that better capture our more mobile spirit. The albatross was right there.
With winter storms having well and truly arrived, and international borders around the world continuing to ease restrictions, more and more New Zealanders are heading back overseas.
Normally this is a natural reaction to July. Not everyone is built to wear stubbies in freezing temperatures. It might be blasphemous to say this in a rugbymad country (though that’s a relative term these days) but some people actually like the warmth.
One of the perks of living in a cold, isolated, island nation, three hours’ flight from another country, is that the closest destinations just happen to be Australian beaches and the Pacific Islands.
But since we’re still in the Covid apocalypse, and the climate apocalypse seems to have lost patience waiting for the pandemic to finish, New Zealanders’ travel plans are being given a bit of sideeye this time round.
Why would anyone go overseas? Don’t they realise the pandemic is still happening? How will they stay safe? Don’t they realise there’s a cost-of-living crisis? How can they afford it?
These aren’t entirely melodramatic points. Parts of the world are on actual fire right now; some from warfare, and others from rising global temperatures.
Hopefully ‘‘picturesque landscape combusted’’ is covered by travel insurance, because having your train stopped by surrounding flames really ruins a holiday. Great for Instagram, though.
The United States, where someone is no doubt building a wildfire-themed amusement park, has somehow convinced itself that all its sociological problems come from women having too many human rights and not enough guns. Bravo to them for finding new and stupefying ways to raise tensions for visitors.
Meanwhile, the UK is taking the novel approach of having both meteorological and
political meltdowns at the same time. Boris Johnson will soon be replaced by one of his Cabinet ministers, because the British do bold political change like they do bold food; unless there’s actual blood, it’s probably just something familiar on toast.
Unsurprisingly, the country that struggled to comprehend its PM consistently lied to its face is also unsure about the source of the current heatwave. It’s not so much denying climate change as having a very strong belief in climate coincidences. London just happens to be unsafe to go outside and, at the same time, on the other side of the world, Wellington storms are so dangerous that neither planes nor ferries can work.
Covid, the virus that keeps on giving, has really become the Super Rugby Crusaders of illnesses: plan for it all you want, but be prepared to be consistently aggrieved for several years in a row. In less than 10 months we’ve had Omicron, and now the BA4 and BA5 sub-variants.
A
otearoa’s mask use has, admittedly, got a little too casual. Hand on heart, does anyone still believe Covid can’t jump the 30cm between strangers in a cafe who are unmasked to drink, or that it stays confined to a maskless face for the length of a group photo?
Living costs continue to be hard. Inflation is high. Fuel being under $3 is being celebrated instead of expected. House prices are less ridiculous, but still closer to ridiculous than non-ridiculous on a grading scale.
Food is expensive, water is political, and the All Blacks just lost a home test series to Ireland, shunting all other problems to the back. Grant Robertson has neither resigned because of the loss nor appointed Trevor Mallard to replace Ian Foster, so who knows when that will be fixed.
It may be expensive, but you can see why people might need a break from everyday life. Even Ashley Bloomfield is contemplating Fiji.
Not everyone is seeking some R&R. There are those genuinely moving away.
Calling it a ‘‘brain drain’’ would be misleading, though. It implies these people are resources lost to the world, rather than experiencing a normal part of the New Zealand story – overseas adventuring – though slightly forgotten over the past couple of years. ‘‘Brain drain’’ just sounds like our nation has self-esteem issues. Leaving this country does not mean rejecting it.
In good, bad and generationally crazy times, even with outlandish obstacles, Kiwis have always gone to see what’s out there.
Not everyone leaves, and not everyone stays away.
Some do. Some try, but can’t.
It is not an easy place to have as a homeland when overseas, these relatively safe, beautiful and distant shores.
Eventually, you miss it.