Australia is an attractive option for many Kiwis – the sun, the surf and the cash, but an increasing number of Kiwis are saying they're left out in the cold.
The Australian Prime Minister's Auckland visit has been described as a slap in the face.
Social support services, citizenship and deportation of the detainees were on the agenda but it seemed lip services were the order of the day.
The brewing "bromance" between our respective leaders would have you believe the ANZAC spirit is as strong as ever, but Kiwi advocate David Faulkner says it's all lip service.
"Even asylum seekers that are released into the community are entitled to a degree of social security support that even the New Zealanders who have paid taxes are not eligible for."
Kiwi rights are being eroded away.
Prior to 1994, Kiwis did not need any sort of visa to live or work in Australia. But then the Special Category Visa, a temporary visa giving New Zealanders most of the same rights as Australians, came along.
In 2001 the goal posts shifted again. That is when it was decided Kiwis who wanted the same rights would have to become citizens by first qualifying as permanent residents under the general point system, like any other nationality.
Kiwis who do not qualify and who stay on that special category visa can never vote, join the Defence Force, or work for the Australian government.
So why are Kiwis being treated as second-rate citizens by the country who's supposed to be our greatest ally?
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