Apologies for the throwaway, but I thought I'd share my letter to Nicky Wagner here. For the uninitiated, ICT is "Information and Communication Technology" - roughly the equivalent to IT in the states.<p><pre><code> Hi Nicky,
I'm a Software Engineer in the United States. My wife and
I are presently in the process of migrating to New Zealand,
specifically Christchurch, under the Skilled Migrant
Category visa.
I'm sure I don't need to inform you that ICT is on
New Zealand's list of long term skills shortages. Further,
I'm sure that you're acutely aware of the significance that
ICT growth can play to the economic resurgence of Christchurch.
As someone who is hoping to aid in this effort, I feel
obligated to inform you that the GCSB is a huge deterrent for
me. Being that my peers in the ICT industry are also quite
sensitive to issues such as these, I can't imagine that this
will help the ICT skills shortage for Christchurch, or the rest
of New Zealand.
Please vote against the GCSB, and urge your colleagues to do
the same.
</code></pre>
Edit: Now that I'm rereading this I realize that I wrote "the GCSB" when I meant "the GCSB bills." Whoops!<p>Edit 2: Sent the following clarification. And here's hoping I didn't just get added to some watch list and screw over my chances for visa approval!<p><pre><code> Just for clarification, I'm referring to the GCSB bills
below, not the entire GCSB. I support the GCSB as a whole,
as well as its greater purpose, but I'd much rather be
moving to a country that didn't allow for warrantless
surveillance of its people.</code></pre>