Global brand to hire 100 Wellingtonians, let them work from home

Acting mayor Simon Marsh, left, Shopify's Marcie Murray and Wreda chief executive Lance Walker are excited about the company setting up its base in Wellington. Photo / Supplied

A global online commerce platform setting up a base in Wellington is pushing the remote worker model by hiring more than 100 locals and allowing them to work from home.

Shopify, which hosts digital stores for about 600,000 merchants, has chosen the capital city for its first remote hub in Oceania, partly due to its geographical layout.

"Looking at different cities that we wanted to set up in ... [Wellington] felt right for us," said director of global support, Marcie Murray, who has chosen the city from a number of places throughout New Zealand and Australia.

Not only did the size, layout and accessibility of the city make it simple for remote workers to meet with others in different areas, but Wellington lived up to its claims of innovation and new technology, she said.

"A city sort of says 'we invest in technology, we invest in innovation' ... it was so apparent even within hours of actually coming here that's really something that Wellington definitely does."

The company plans to hire more than 100 support workers from around the region, who will all be able to avoid the dreaded commute by working from home or a place of their choice.

"The creation of 100 new jobs is a great story for the city," said Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency chief executive Lance Walker.

"One of the nice things about the model is actually opportunities for people who live in the Hutt or Porirua or Kapiti to also be part of this network as well."

It was good to see a global company such as Shopify recognising "the talent and the ecosystem that we have here".

"It's nice to have global brands choosing Wellington as a place to start up."

Walker thought the remote working model might spread over time.

"I think it's a reality that we're going to see a flexibility and importance of work-life balance drive change in the way that we manage workplaces," he said.

Murray said some workers functioned better in their own space.

Not relying on having an office space also allowed the company to move faster in setting up its base and hiring staff.

Mayor Justin Lester said he was "thrilled" the company was making Wellington its Oceania base.

It was a "true testament to the talent we have in the city".