Amazon job ads hint at NZ presence

Online retail behemoth Amazon has quietly been advertising more than a dozen roles based in Auckland and Wellington, raising the possibility of a New Zealandbased office.

Amazon has advertised 13 job listings ranging from sales representative roles to specialised technology roles on its website.

There are 11 jobs based in Auckland and two in Wellington.

One of the roles based in Auckland, a territory sales representative, has been described as shaping the ‘‘future of New Zealand businesses by using Amazon Web Services’’.

AWS is a cloud services platform offering data storage and is a separate business inside of the larger Amazon company. Companies such as Netflix use the service for its storage of content.

Amazon has played up New Zealand’s characteristics to prospective employees, describing this country as young and host to a ‘‘distinctively biodiverse ecosystem . . . that evolved during the island’s long isolation’’.

Last year Amazon set up its first Australian warehouse in Melbourne, and its second in Sydney in September. After its Australian launch, the retail giant spurred rumours New Zealand would be next. Hamilton city councillor Angela O’Leary called for the company to set up its first Kiwi warehouse in the city.

Amazon is valued at about $US1 trillion (NZ$1.49t).

First Retail Group managing director Chris Wilkinson said Amazon opening an office in New Zealand was a logical step for the company’s global expansion into the southern hemisphere.

‘‘For the past couple of years, Amazon’s focus has been on building its logistics systems, with the warehouses in Australia,’’ Wilkinson said.

‘‘Because of the geographical distances between New Zealand and the United States, it would make sense for them to have a base here to better understand what customers want in the Southern Hemisphere.’’

In a separate issue, Amazon executives met Economic Development Minister David Parker last week as plans to film the $1.49 billion Lord of the Rings television series in New Zealand hung in the balance.

Amazon is concerned about a lack of studio capacity in Auckland. Both parties were tightlipped about the negotiations.