Wellington a Global Talent Magnet

A Cato Unbound essay by Richard Florida – The Future of the American Workforce in the Global Creative Economy – uses the Peter Jackson led Wellington film studios as an example of “a profound shift in the nature of global competition.” According to Florida, America not only has to contend with the looming economic giants of India and China, but with cutting edge creative “IQ magnets” such as Wellington, Taipei, Amsterdam and Melbourne. “As we walked past a wall map with pins showing the Weta studio workers’ native countries, the head of digital animation joked that the organization looked more like the U.N. than a film studio,” he writes. “Jackson told me his key lure was to offer exciting, challenging work with a secure future in a city with abundant natural beauty, affordable housing, and an outstanding quality of life for people of nearly every income bracket.”