Why the USA election has generated interest in New Zealand

The recent re-election of Donald Trump has many Americans concerned about the changes they can expect following his inauguration in January 2025.

Trump signalled during his campaign that he would instigate a number of significant and wide-ranging changes including – the mass deportation of immigrants; sweeping import tariffs; broad changes to the federal health system; dismantling of the education department and ideological interventions in schools; further politicisation of the public service; the cessation or rolling back of policies and regulations on climate change, gun control, women’s rights and transgender rights.

It remains to be seen how many of these changes will be instigated, and to what extent and how quickly. However, it is understandable that many Americans are now thinking seriously about their future, with Google searches for “moving to New Zealand” increasing by 2,000% immediately following the election outcome.

There are several reasons for New Zealand being a “country of interest”.

Trump’s authoritarian interpretation of executive power will continue in his second term. He is also promising to increase political appointments by 50,000, further transforming a merit-based public service to one based on allegiance. New Zealand, in contrast, is a parliamentary democracy with an electoral system based on mixed-member proportional representation. There is an effective set of checks and balances, and a functional separation of powers, whereby the judiciary, the legislature, and the executive are independent.

Trump’s education agenda appears to involve abolishing the Department of Education, scrapping funding for low-income schools, and eliminating diversity and inclusion initiatives, and protections for LGBTQ students would be rolled back. While New Zealand has a national curriculum for primary and secondary students, and student loans for tertiary education are interest-free (with few exceptions). As a general rule, New Zealand has an “inclusive” education system with opportunities for all students no matter their background.

Healthcare is another area targeted for change under the Trump administration and changes to the Affordable Care Act could alter the accessibility and affordability of health insurance. Healthcare is heavily subsidised by the New Zealand Government. Citizens, residents, and those holding long term work visas have free access to public healthcare services, or at a low cost. New Zealand also has a unique Government sponsored accident compensation scheme (ACC) which provides no-fault personal injury insurance cover for anyone in New Zealand (irrespective of their visa status). This system significantly reduces the risk of costly malpractice lawsuits (eg: for doctors) and malpractice insurance costs are significantly lower because of the ACC system and the reduced risk of litigation.

It is uncertain whether the new regime will seek a federal ban on abortion, but access to the procedure will not improve in states that have already restricted it. Abortion was decriminalised in New Zealand in 2020, and a qualified health practitioner can provide abortion services up to 20 weeks of pregnancy without needing clinical evidence of appropriateness.

Gun control (or lack of) is also a matter of great concern to many Americans. New Zealand has tight regulations around firearms with automatic weapons and assault rifles banned and all gun ownership needing to be registered.

These are just some of the issues that could now be concerning many Americans, and which can potentially make relocation to New Zealand an attractive option. These issues relate more to protecting individual freedoms and the rule of law, and a fairer, democratic society, and New Zealand can certainly deliver on these outcomes – making the move an attractive economic outcome is not so easy!