Colin Slade is a big loss for the Crusaders and New Zealand © Getty Images

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Colin Slade will join the New Zealand exodus next season having agreed to join Pau.

Slade, who has penned a three-year deal with the newly promoted PROD2 side and will earn in the region of €500,000 (NZL$707,000) a season, said the decision to leave New Zealand "certainly wasn't easy - I have lost a lot of sleep over it".

"But it not just a rugby decision, a lifestyle decision or a financial decision. It is a combination of all three and with the stage of where I am in my life and my career, my wife and I have always wanted to do a bit of travel as well. I have always been pretty clear I wanted to go overseas at some point. It is exciting."

Pau's promotion to the Top 14 was confirmed on Saturday with a 31-5 win over Montauban, and Slade will dovetail in the midfield with All Blacks team-mate Conrad Smith. The duo are set to arrive after the 2015 Rugby Rugby World Cup, expanding the strong Kiwi influence at the club with one-cap All Blacks five-eighth Simon Mannix at the helm.

"This is certainly not a decision taken lightly," Slade said. "I have given it a lot of thought and considered all my options, but I am now satisfied that moving to Pau after this year is the right decision for me at this point in my life. Pau is a club with great ambition that is really keen to establish itself in France, and the chance to play in the Top 14 and potentially European Cup is an exciting new challenge for me. My wife and I are also excited to have the opportunity to live in the South of France and travel around Europe in between rugby commitments.

"I am very grateful for my time here in New Zealand and have been honoured to have played in some great teams, alongside many of the best players in the world. I am also grateful to NZ Rugby for their genuine efforts throughout the decision making process. I want to make it clear that I still have goals to achieve this year and remain absolutely committed to giving 100% until I leave."

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen will not welcome the news as he is facing a growing number of his players opting to leave New Zealand for pastures new. Charles Piutau, Dan Carter, Ben Franks and Jeremy Thrush will all be in Europe next season and, speaking to Stuff.co.nz, Hansen admits 2016 will be a real test of New Zealand's strength in depth.

"2016 is going to be one of the most difficult years for All Black rugby because not only are we losing people as it's time for them to go overseas or retire, and we've lost one or two other people we didn't want to lose, but we're also going to lose some guys to the Olympics," Hansen told Stuff. "We could lose up to 15 players out of our current 31-man squad, which is massive."

Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder was disappointed to be losing a player of Slade's calibre, describing him as "a hugely talented player who has been a key cog in this team in the last couple of seasons".

"We brought him back to the Crusaders because we knew he had a lot of great rugby left in him, so clearly we are sad to be losing him at the end of this season," Blackadder said. "However, we respect his decision to move on and will send him off at the end of the year with our very best wishes."