PremiumMike ScottSenior Journalist·NZ Herald·2 Jun, 2026 05:00 PM5 mins to read‌Hato Hone St John paramedics Camara Cosier, left, and Sarah Guy are two of more than 50 Australian-trained paramedics who have swapped higher pay at home for broader skills and a better lifestyle across the Tasman.

Photo / Mike Scott Australian paramedics are bucking the well-established transtasman migrant flow and choosing New Zealand jobs for opportunity over higher pay at home.And it is confounding the locals they are treating.

“All the Kiwi patients we go to, they’re like, ‘Wait, that’s an Australian accent. What are you doing here?’,” Hato