I'm a new zealander who moved to Australia six years ago and the first two posts are correct. Life is much easier in australia, power is probably 1/3 the cost, my house has central heating, my wages went up 50% when I got off the plane and my cost of living went down. Most kiwis don't know how bad their cost of living is until they move elsewhere. The scenery in Nz is nice, but you can't eat a view, or heat your house with it, and most countries have beautiful areas (australia is full of them) Also, in australia doctors visits are subsidised, optician checkups are free, and taxes for lower income earners are less.
N.Z has a lot of great things going for it, but cost of living is not one of them, and really, having to work long hours for sweet f.a doesn't a happy life make, even if the mountains look nice in the distance.