Top achievers give up $2000 a week to stay in NZ - report

While many of New Zealand’s best and brightest head overseas after graduating, those who stay behind are taking a big hit to their wallets, new research suggests.

The first findings of a research project studying New Zealand’s top academic achievers show that those who either remain in or return to New Zealand are giving up almost $2000 a week in average income.

This means missing out on over $100,000 a year just by choosing to stay in this country.

The study, by Professor John Gibson of the University of Waikato Management School and Dr David McKenzie of the World Bank, focused on people who were among the best high school students in the nation over the 1976-2004 period.

This group was defined as members of New Zealand's maths and chemistry Olympics teams, top scholars in the New Zealand Bursary examinations, and duxes at selected high-performing secondary schools.

Professor Gibson and Dr McKenzie also looked at why some of these academic high-achievers never migrate, and why some return.

Their results suggest that these decisions are driven more by preferences and career concerns than income opportunities.

But money isn’t the only barrier to staying in this country - many high achievers working abroad highlight the poor quality and limited funding opportunities of the research environment in New Zealand.

"This is particularly important for scientists, who note that funding for scientific laboratories is very limited in New Zealand compared to overseas, and that in particular fields such as genetic engineering, New Zealand regulations make it very difficult for them to carry out their work,” says Professor Gibson.