New Zealand is both very similar to the US and really different. For one we have roughly double the percentage of immigrants in the country than the US. And in Wellington where I live it’s even higher than the national average. While we do have work temporary work visas they’re not nearly as tied to employers than the US system and workers have many more rights.
Another big difference is that for all jobs that are similar to what you’d get on an H1B visa it is a direct to permanent residency visa. Meaning those immigrants get full voting after being in the country for 2 years.
Lots of companies are using AI today, especially tech companies. As a high income country New Zealand has high labor costs, especially at the lower end, this is consistent with New Zealand having an economy more like a Northern European social democracy. At fast food restaurants you always order with a touch screen instead of telling your order to person. Someone still does the cooking and prep of your food. That’s tech that has replaced a human job, not the smartest AI, but it’s doing some to try and upsell me.
The New Zealand government has had a big push to shrink the public sector using AI, it’s not gone great, what has worked somewhat better is AI use amongst private contractors to the government. They do more with less money by augmenting work with AI.
There are laws in government for buy local, which has prevented some overseas outsourcing and helped create a domestic tech industry. But we also benefit a lot from other people’s outsourcing. The neighborhood where I live has a ton of studio lots and special effects companies doing work for Hollywood and the video game industry. They’re pausing new investments while they look at what AI will do to their industry. The work will still need to get done but there will be fewer junior 3D designers needed.
Anyway I think we’ll see this change as slowly slowly with lots of promise and then all of a sudden. Just like Waymo is rolling out very slowly around the world, then one day, boom, it’ll feel like it’s everywhere.
