I think the private sector will be avoiding too much hiring at the moment, on account of the recession and general economic uncertainty.

Plus it doesn't help that those government job losses are not evenly spaced across the country, but have a high proportion in one city (Wellington). That's an assumption, but I think it's a fair one considering the government said front line aren't being touched (I'm not sure that's entirely true), and since the bulk of non-frontline government staff are in Wellington.

So I'd guess now is a bad time to be a Wellington business selling non-essentials, I bet the CBD will be hoping for a few more cruise ships to prop up numbers.