New data has revealed the pay of chartered accountants in New Zealand lags behind that in Australia. 

A survey by Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand has found members across the ditch took home a median NZ$177,000 compared to NZ$144,200 in New Zealand. 

Chief financial officers were being paid around $336,000 to New Zealand's $265,000. 

But Chartered Accountants' Charlotte Evett told Mike Hosking she's not surprised. 

She says they've always seen higher salaries in Australia than New Zealand, and the big gap in economic performance has been there since the 70s. 

However, there are reasons for accountants to stay in the country. 

Evett says a third of Australian accountants felt they were unfairly paid compared to 20% in New Zealand, and New Zealand can also be more affordable to live in. 

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