2001: Reflections on the Spatial Odysseys of New Zealanders

ABSTRACT ‘Brain drain’ has been one of the abiding topics of public debate during 2000. Emigration of New Zealanders much more than immigration of new settlers has dominated discourses about international migration, even though for much of the year the country experienced overall net migration gains rather than net losses. This paper addresses the migration of New Zealanders with reference to both the international shortage of skilled labour, especially ‘white’ English speaking labour, and the growing debate about ‘replacement’ migration. The gradual recognition, both by politicians and academics, of a ‘New Zealand diaspora’ is examined.