NZTE won't say why it helped top Google exec come to NZ to work remotely

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise is refusing to say why it decided to help one of Google’s top executives move to New Zealand so that he could work here remotely for the United States firm.

US technology news website Cnet reported that Google’s senior vice president of engineering Urs Hölzle had chosen to move to New Zealand with his wife as an experiment “to see how we like it”.

Hölzle was Google’s eight employee and a key figure in establishing its global network of data centres.

He is also on the board of the World Wildlife Fund.

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Cnet reported that his decision to move to New Zealand had caused some consternation among other Google staff as they felt he was given special treatment to work remotely.

It said Hölzle had told staff that, dependent on quarantine restrictions, he still expected to visit the Bay Area of San Francisco on a regular basis.

NZTE spokesman Andrew Holden said it had supported Hölzle’s application for a visa but said it would not comment on why it had done so, due to privacy reasons.

Immigration NZ’s general manager of visa operations, Nicola Hogg, said Hölzle “met the border exception criteria to be granted a visa under the Covid-19 Support instructions”.

“Due to privacy reasons, Immigration NZ cannot comment further on this case without a privacy waiver,” she said.

A Google spokeswoman said Holzle was not currently available for an interview to discuss his decision to come to New Zealand.

It is understood Holzle applied for a visa to live and work from New Zealand after communicating directly with NZTE, rather than that process being led by Google.