More people are moving to New Zealand from Australia instead of the other way around for the first time in decades as Kiwis return to a buoyant economy and are joined by foreigners in search of work. 
According to new figures released by Statistics New Zealand, 25,273 people migrated east across the Tasman Sea in 2015, and 24,504 went the other way.
This net flow of 769 to New Zealand is the biggest since 1991 and the number of people coming to Australia is the lowest since that year. It comes as the country of 4.6 million is experiencing consistent political stability and strong economic performance while other countries falter.
The trend began in the middle of last year and these new figures confirm the anti-New Zealand migration is over, having peaked in 2012 when more than 53,000 fled to Australia.
In 2013, the net migration flow to Australia was 19,600. By 2014, this was down to 3800.
Halting the "brain drain" was a major campaign commitment of Prime Minister John Key who, after more than seven years in power, is a popular leader running a steady, successful government.
Professor Paul Spoonley of New Zealand's Massey University says the trans-Tasman migration is highly dependent on economic factors.