It was started in New Zealand, and got its initial investment from New Zealand, but the majority of funding now comes from America and the majority of ownership is American.
However, most of the R&D, operations, and manufacturing are done in New Zealand. I almost applied for a job there, but it would've required relocating to Auckland, which I wasn't willing to do.
I actually recently emigrated over the ditch to Melbourne from Wellington.
If I do go back to New Zealand, it would be to Christchurch, where I went to university. The lifestyle in Christchurch is a lot more laid back, more outdoor activities (great skiing and hunting), and rent is a lot cheaper.
Unfortunately the market for Ruby developers is practically non-existent in New Zealand, so I don't think it would be practical for me to move back to NZ for the next 5 years or so.
I'm hoping to move to NZ with my girlfriend in 2019, to settle down. I finally got 3 years of work experience for a memory card manufacturing company in Taiwan, which means I should be eligible for the Skilled Migrant Category visa.
If you'd like to talk about making those plans a reality, please get in touch! I think that the SMC visa requires me to only work for certain companies that are allowed to sponsor immigrants, though, and that would prevent me from working for an exciting startup like Rocket Lab.
IIRC a big benefit of having the rockets and launch pad in New Zealand is that it's possible to scale up and launch nearly-continuously from eastern New Zealand (if necessary) due to the lack of air traffic, while finding launch pad space in the US requires scrounging around and waiting.
And the shipping cost of moving things to New Zealand by boat to put on a rocket is obviously a rounding error compared to that of moving those things to orbit.
However, most of the R&D, operations, and manufacturing are done in New Zealand. I almost applied for a job there, but it would've required relocating to Auckland, which I wasn't willing to do.