【Dear Utol (2025): TBrgy. Chairman Episode 39】

When people think of moving to New Zealand,Dear Utol (2025): TBrgy. Chairman Episode 39 they think of pretty images of lush greenery and snow-capped mountains. And then there's the draw of great work-life balance -- and shelter from an apocalypse, no less.

SEE ALSO: In Silicon Valley, even a place to live is a job perk

But to build itself into a technology hub, it needs the specialised workforce.

Wellington, the country's capital with a population just under 500,000, is working on that by offering 100 tech workers a free week-long trip to the city, under its LookSee Wellington programme.

The unconventional marketing plan will fly you out, if you agree to pre-arranged job interviews with companies in the area.

It seems to have worked. LookSee Wellington said it received 48,000 applications, crashing the website at least once, with 63 of the 93 people who came on the trip in May accepting job offers.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

One of these people is 31-year-old Darren Kidd from Perth, Australia, who will be moving with his wife Alyssa and daughter Isobel to Wellington on Monday after long having the "travel bug."

Kidd has spent most of his life in Perth, where he attended university and worked in various IT roles throughout the past ten years. He had been to New Zealand for a holiday, and had such a great time in the country that he signed up to a mailing list for jobs a year ago.

Then one day in February, a promotional email for LookSee Wellington dropped in his inbox.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

"It was too good an opportunity to not go and apply," he said. The move made sense for him and his wife, whose daughter is only one.

"We didn't want to be too mean to aunties and uncles and grandparents, and move too far away," he explained.

As an Australian, Kidd is in the minority of people who came on the junket. The majority, to little surprise, are from the U.S. (29 people), followed by Canada (9), UK (8), and India (7).

"It was a fairly easy decision."

"A lot of people were keen to experience life somewhere else in the world," Kidd said of the people on the trip. "They sold the Wellington lifestyle really well, everyone was super keen to try it out and see if it was for them, and I think for those who got offers it was a fairly easy decision."

Kidd said the trip itself had a very "tight timeline," where he spent the Sunday morning getting over his jetlag on a bus tour, then whisked to an interview a day over four days.

He ended up accepting a developer role with accounting software firm Xero, because he wanted to return to his roots as a software engineer, and was enamoured with the company's culture.

"Everything I experienced in their offices, or read, or talked about them has just been saturated with a love of their customers and a love of the people who work there," Kidd said.

The Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency (WREDA) spent NZ$300,000 (US$224,000) on the campaign. It's not a cheap exercise, but it said the investment would boost to the region's economy, and Wellington's profile as a tech hub.

The ultimate test, perhaps, is on just how many will stay for the long-haul. But for Kidd, admittedly "a bit stressed" by the logistics of the move, is raring to go.

"There's so much excitement, but of course a little bit of nervousness. It's a long way to go, and there's no turning back after this," Kidd said.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Forget smart watches, this voice-powered smart ring will make you look very extra

---

• Deals
• Social Good
• Entertainment
• Tech
• Games
• Science
• Life
• Shopping

• Trumpspeak
• NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for May 15: Tips to solve Connections #234
• Best headphones deal: Take 37% off the Philips H8506 headphones
• Philips now allows customers to 3D print replacement parts
• Spicer, Racked
• Lego Classic Creative Brick Box: $17.99 at Amazon
• NASA rover captures an aurora from Mars surface for the first time
• Elon Musk's AI chatbot develops South Africa fixation
• Get Thee to a City of Ladies
• Why are we obsessed with body counts again?

• Oculus Quest hands on
• Yes, Donald Trump basically called for Russia to hack Hillary Clinton
• Admit it, Professor Willow is totally bangin'
• Dyson spent over 10 years developing the 360 eye robot vacuum. How does it rank?
• Facebook announces $399 Oculus Quest standalone VR headset
• Australia used to be home to a flesh
• Oppo's next flagship might have an unearthly 10GB of RAM
• 'American Horror Story' finally brought its witches back
• George RR Martin's new book extract could give us some more 'Game of Thrones' clues
• Bill Clinton's very detailed relationship anecdote is ruining love for a lot of people

• The Longest Miles
• Best earbuds deal: Save $31 on Beats Fit Pro
• Lego Classic Creative Brick Box: $17.99 at Amazon
• Best security camera deal: Get a Google Nest Security Cam for its lowest price yet
• Trump’s Baby-Cager
• Apple's new CarPlay Ultra detailed on video
• Best Apple deal: Save $19 on AirTag 4
• Best Android tablet deal: Save $70 on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A9+
• Administering Evil
• The internet can't stop thinking of Katy Perry

• O Captain! My Captain!
• Best portable power station deal: Save $700 on EcoFlow Delta 2 Max at Amazon
• JetBlue "Book It Before It's Hot" sale: Cheap flights for as low as $59 each way
• NYT Strands hints, answers for May 14
• So Much Winning
• Best Apple deal: Save $99.01 on iPad mini (128GB, WiFi, A17 Pro)
• NYT mini crossword answers for May 16, 2025
• Philips wireless earbuds: $12 off at Amazon
• The Last Line of Defense
• Apple's new CarPlay Ultra detailed on video