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.

Interesting. I was a Ruby developer in Wellington from 2013 to 2016 and felt demand was huge compared to the size of the city.

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.

Unless you'd like to buy a house there or drive anywhere ;)