Swimming against the tide - the Kiwis crossing the ditch to move home

It is not yet midday on a Friday but Wellington office workers are already lining up for a sandwich from Humphrey's Counter. Behind that counter, owner James Meek is serving up his most popular baguette, the Original Beef Drip, filled with slow cooked beef brisket, and warmly greeting regulars and new customers alike.

The born-and-bred Wellingtonian spent nearly 20 years in Sydney building a successful career in hospitality, including co-owning two popular cafes in Bondi. He also sold a cookie-dough product that went viral and was eventually stocked in 600 supermarkets across Australia.

But last year Meek sold up his businesses, moving back to Wellington with his English partner Anna Lancaster, their two sons and pet dog in tow. Humprey's Counter opened in July.

Setting up shop in a cost-of-living crisis, and amidst thousands of public sector job cuts, might seem crazy - but, so far, city workers can't get enough of Humphrey's loaded baguettes and homemade cookies, with queues frequently out the door of the Brandon Street premises. Meek said he sells around 150 sandwiches daily.

The move to Australia two decades ago happened naturally. "After university, like most New Zealanders, we go and we travel. Bright lights, big city, travel with all my friends. I didn't see myself as migrating. It's just, 'this is what we're doing, we're finishing university, so let's go over here.

"It's sunny. You earn better money, and there's lots more people and things to see and do. Then, after a while, it does become your home."

For most of that time, Meek never thought about moving back to Aotearoa. "I'd come back to visit family in Wellington and it was always nice enough, but I was fully focused on living in Sydney, loving the beach culture, the big city life, all that sort of stuff."

But the pandemic and having a young family, changed his thoughts on living abroad. Life was hectic, as a new father while managing 20 staff across two venues.

"When Covid happened, as much as I was concerned for the businesses, I found myself a little bit relieved. I was pretty exhausted and stressed."

Not owning a house was also playing on his mind. "It felt like the walls were closing in, thinking 'can we afford to live here?'. We lived in a lovely area but even if you moved an hour away, you're still talking $1.5 million to get a house that would be suitable [and] that we would want to live in."

Meek missed his large family - "I'm number five of six children" - and he wanted his sons to grow up as Kiwis kids. There are "great people in Australia ... But there is something that I personally enjoy about New Zealand. There's a humbleness, and an accessibility to a lot of things ... it comes from having a smaller population or something."

The family has settled in Island Bay. "My kids have loved being back here because they've got their grandparents and aunties and uncles and cousins around, and they ride their bikes to school. It's a lovely community school, and there's great people around us. It feels like we've quickly folded in."

Firefighter Dee Berghan-Carrick grew up in Melbourne, but his mum is from New Zealand - where he spent many childhood summers. Those holidays spurred him on to one day move to Aotearoa, to connect with his whakapapa Māori.

"Every time I was on this whenua, in this country, I felt like I was home in a way that I just didn't feel back home always. That always stuck with me."

His mum "grew up in an era where it wasn't really okay to talk about her history, [and] where she was made to feel a lot of shame about her Māori side.

"Over the last few years we have been on a process of healing, starting to learn a little bit of te reo, starting to understand our roots a little bit more. It's a big journey, and we're only at the start of that. But we're on that waka now and it's pretty cool."

Berghan-Carrick moved here a year ago, and, after a stint in Rotorua where he met his now-partner, he landed in the capital in December. The couple recently set up home in Evans Bay.

So far he's loving Wellington and its proximity to the outdoors. "It feels creative and friendly but more personable. It's got a great little arts scene, and great cafes. I also get to explore the beautiful taio around here, the nature is unbelievable ... I'd be hard pressed to find a better place."

As a former barista in Melbourne - arguably the world's coffee capital - Berghan-Carrick's "one gripe with Welly" is the coffee. "The good coffee is up there with the best in Melbourne, without a doubt, and the service is even better. But I do wish more places did good filter coffee - it's my drink of choice."

He was warned about the city's notorious winds, and heard the city was going through tough times. "There's definitely some closed-up shops in town, but it still feels like there's some heart here. I hope more people come and realise how awesome this place is, and keep making it home."

The number of New Zealanders returning from Australia has increased 14 percent in the past year, according to Stats NZ, but the number of people moving to Aussie is still more than double.

Stats NZ figures released last week showed that of the six New Zealand cities to see their populations drop in the past year, Wellington's fell furthest.

Infometrics economist Nick Brunsdon said there was a clear link between the public sector job cuts and the falling population. "If we look at employment in Wellington city, from 2024, which is sort of the peak, to 2026, it's fallen by around 6000 jobs. That's highly likely to be the main driver behind people choosing to migrate away from Wellington."

While Australia currently offered better job prospects, that was likely to change in the next couple of years as the job market softened, he said.

It could result in more New Zealanders coming home, he added. "Definitely at the national level. Whether that plays out in the same way for Wellington remains to be seen. That's going to rely on job opportunities being made available in the city."

Back at Humphrey's Counter, Meek said he knew Wellington had been doing it tough and hoped it would pick up soon. Until then, he'd focus on selling delicious sandwiches to the masses.

"A lot of people are losing their job which is a bit stressful ... but things are okay. We live in a beautiful place. We live with good people around us. Kiwis are great. [We just need to] try and find the positives again."