IT gurus flood the capital

Nearly 100 people from around the world are on a free New Zealand holiday in return for doing job interviews in Wellington.

More than 48,000 applications were whittled down to 97 in a recruitment drive to attract techsavvy internationals. In return for flights and accommodation, they committed to four days of job interviews, immigration seminars and a tour of the capital.

Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency has been stunned by interest in its ratepayer-supported LookSee initiative since it was announced in February. Interest has come from the US, India, UK, Brazil, Philippines, Singapore, Pakistan, South Africa, Canada and Croatia.

The agency’s general manager David Jones said it had a $300,000 budget for the programme.

“Just as these people will do their best to impress Wellington employers, the team aims to give them an impressive taste of our world-leading quality of life.

“We’ll also provide practical information they’ll need before relocating.”

With a budget of $40,000, Immigration New Zealand has helped with marketing, public relations and advice on visas and relocating.

National marketing manager Greg Forsythe said part of the motivation was a fierce global market for tech experts.