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Wellington is a terrible risk, there's a major fault line running right through the city. But yeah, it's a decent place to live in the meantime.
Although, it should be mentioned that the weather is also terrible. I'll never forget that wind.
My favorite thing about Rocket Lab is the rocket engine they use[1]. By replacing the turbopump with a electric motor they were able to remove one of the single most complicated and expensive parts of a rocket engine. As battery densities keep increasing we should see electrically fed engines being used on bigger and bigger rockets. [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutherford_(rocket_engine)
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So why did you leave? (Asking because I have an opportunity to move there.)
Don't do it. I grew up there. Parochial, small-minded, cliquey people, all the money is in construction and farming rather than tech, poor range of jobs, low wages, and relatively expensive real estate. I moved to Australia, found more interesting work at more than double the salary. Nicer weather and more genuine people, and real multicultural culture due to truly international big cities.
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Electric turbopumps are an answer to the question: "how small can you make a commercially viable orbital rocket?" Atmospheric drag effects rocket performance less and less the larger a rocket gets (square-cube law), so that a rocket like the Space Shuttle can effectively ignore the atmosphere. Conversely, the smaller a rocket gets, the harder and harder launch gets. This is the problem Rocket Lab has decided to attac…
A variation of a couple of degrees during launch would rip the Shuttle's wings off, so "ignore" is not the right word here.
The years I spent in New Zealand painted a vivid picture of a society of doers. I think there’s something to the idea that this comes in part from being a landmass the size of Colorado, with not much more than 4 million people, with the freedom and requirements to maintain the infrastructure of being a sovereign nation. Seeing a NZ rocket launch condures an image of a small group of doers dreaming big. Way to go NZ!
Wait, isn't Rocket Lab an american company, and they're just locating the rocket in NZ? Founders were Kiwis but HQ is in California...
Is a Kiwi rocket company that is forced to be half based in the US to satisfy US legislation any more American than an American rocket company that uses Russian built engines and other components sourced from Europe? The flag waving denies the reality that space is a global industry.
I’m pretty sure “It’s Business Time” refers to a Flight of the Conchords song: https://youtu.be/WGOohBytKTU
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So why did you leave? (Asking because I have an opportunity to move there.)
Don't do it. I grew up there. Parochial, small-minded, cliquey people, all the money is in construction and farming rather than tech, poor range of jobs, low wages, and relatively expensive real estate. I moved to Australia, found more interesting work at more than double the salary. Nicer weather and more genuine people, and real multicultural culture due to truly international big cities.
And is NZ not just as multicultural as Australia?
And finally: another commenter here responded "New Zealand's software industry is significantly more mature than it was 2+ decades ago." Can you understand what he means by that? When did you leave NZ?
I hope you care to elaborate, we have to decide next week so any opinion is welcome, especially if you grew up there :-)
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I left NZ decades ago due to lack of software opportunities. I'd be tempted to return, but getting a "first job" in NZ would be a problem if I returned, I think, given that I'm aged over 50 and haven't worked for years. P.S. Avoid Wellington if possible, it's an earthquake mega-disaster waiting to happen.
> P.S. Avoid Wellington if possible, it's an earthquake mega-disaster waiting to happen. What, just like California? I would highly recommend Wellington if you do software, are entrepreneurial, or you are sociable. It is the most cosmopolitan city, the friendliest to foreigners, the friendliest to all ages (because so many people move there to work, and it is the only major city in NZ with a city centre based on walk…
> What, just like California?
I tend to think like the parent, so am curious where our imaginations diverge. Basically, I'd worry about a violent enough earthquake that lots of people/supplies immediately need to be moved in/out, but their movement is impeded by the geography. It seems likely that the two roads out of town would be impassible (isn't one on land that lifted out of the water in a major quake?), and the airport and waterfront are mostly on reclaimed land so will likely need substantial work before boats/planes can operate.
It's a lovely city though - second best in NZ to Dunedin!
Wellington is hosting KiwiCon later this week too: https://www.kiwicon.org/
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I left NZ decades ago due to lack of software opportunities. I'd be tempted to return, but getting a "first job" in NZ would be a problem if I returned, I think, given that I'm aged over 50 and haven't worked for years. P.S. Avoid Wellington if possible, it's an earthquake mega-disaster waiting to happen.
New Zealand's software industry is significantly more mature than it was 2+ decades ago. Multiple firms with several hundred developers building their own products rather than just government consulting. Getting hired is hard, but not impossible. The unemployment rate is sub 4% these days. If you're concerned about your employability, perhaps email Xero/Vend/Flux Federation/Catalyst IT/Intergen/Datacom/Trade Me/Weta…
While this is fantastic news on one hand, it is concerning that cheap launches will lead to so much debris in low earth orbit that future generations will find it difficult to orbit without significant risk of micrometeorite strikes.