Wellington tech hiring drive attracts top global talent

New Zealand's isolation, once a hindrance, has become an attraction for global talent. Photo / 123rf

Workers from Google, MIT, NASA, Facebook and Amazon are vying for jobs in Wellington's tech sector, the New York Times reports.

Earlier this month, the Herald reported on LookSee - a tech drive in the capital which attracted more than 48,000 applications - which 7453 Americans applied for.

Selected candidates are to be brought to New Zealand for job interviews, with their flights and accommodation paid for.

The New York Times today revealed that talent from some of the country's top firms such as Google and space agency NASA applied for the chance to come work in Wellington.

"For all sorts of reasons, New Zealand suddenly makes sense. The cost of living is less than in San Francisco. Commuting is less wearying. And American politics, "Brexit" and the Islamic State are on the other side of the world," The New York Times said.

Wellington City Mayor Justin Lester this month said the programme reflected well on the capital.

"New Zealand's international reputation for quality of life is very strong, and the opportunity to do exciting, leading-edge, growth-oriented work in Wellington's tech sector is clearly a highly attractive proposition," Lester said.

Although the Look See initiative initially focused on the Americas, global interest widened the scope. India eclipsed the US with the highest number of applications at 8000.

Xero founder and chief executive Rod Drury told the New York Times that US President Trump's travel ban had created an opportunity to recruit global talent.

"Especially in the US technology industry, where something like 50 per cent of the billion-dollar companies have been built by immigrants, it's nuts that you make it difficult for engineers to come in," he told the New York Times. "It's crazy for us not to exploit that."