Wellingtonruns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
Central government & public policy
All government departments, the Reserve Bank, Treasury, Parliament, Crown entities
Every New Zealand government department is headquartered in Wellington, which is why the city has a policy, legal, economics and communications labour market out of all proportion to its size — and why so many roles are restricted to citizens and residents.
Film, VFX & screen
Wētā FX, Wētā Workshop, Stone Street Studios, Park Road Post
The Miramar peninsula holds a complete screen production pipeline in about two square kilometres — visual effects, physical effects, sound and post — built out from The Lord of the Rings and now working on productions with no connection to New Zealand at all.
Software & fintech
Xero, Trade Me, Sharesies, Datacom, Catalyst IT
Xero and Trade Me were both founded in Wellington and both remain major local employers. The city's tech scene is smaller than Auckland's and unusually intertwined with government procurement, which cuts both ways.
Universities & research
Victoria University of Wellington, Massey Wellington, GNS Science, NIWA, Callaghan Innovation
GNS Science, the Crown research institute for geology and geophysics, is based just outside the city at Avalon — which is fitting, since Wellington is the New Zealand city with the most direct professional interest in what it studies.
Food, coffee & craft beer
Garage Project, ParrotDog, Havana Coffee Works, Peoples Coffee, Fortune Favours
Wellington roasts and drinks more coffee per head than anywhere else in New Zealand and the craft beer scene is genuinely dense — Garage Project began in a derelict Aro Valley petrol station and now exports. It is a real employer as well as a lifestyle claim.
Arts, festivals & performance
Te Papa Tongarewa, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Circa Theatre, NZ Festival of the Arts
The national museum, the national orchestra and the national ballet are all here, which gives a city of a few hundred thousand a professional arts sector that behaves like a much larger one's.
Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.