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NEW ZEALANDERS are happy to live in Australia, but they snub their noses at Australian citizenship, according to an Australian government report.
It showed New Zealanders were the slowest immigrant group to take up Australian citizenship, with many actively opposed to the idea.
They believed they could enjoy all the work and lifestyle benefits of living in Australia without committing to their adopted country.
Of the 355,762 New Zealanders in Australia, only 116,500 - about one-third - have taken up citizenship.
The report concluded New Zealanders were one of the most "difficult to win" groups in terms of loyalty to Australia.
"Citizenship was an issue that elicited strong, mostly negative reactions from New Zealand-born migrants," the report found.
"Most expressed the attitude that, as permanent residents, they already enjoyed a range of opportunities, and they felt indifferent or opposed to becoming an Australian citizen."
Others said taking out Australian citizenship would be a betrayal of their New Zealand roots, even though many admitted they had no intention of returning to New Zealand.
Some said the only way the Australian government would boost citizenship among New Zealanders would be to make it harder for non-citizens to buy property or get jobs.