Why is the lifestyle of Wellington a negative against the nix? Consistantly rated as one of the best cities in the world, it really depends what you're looking for.
Ask 100 people from London (who haven't been here) whether they would rather move to (not just visit to see The Lord of the Rings country) Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne or Wellington and I could almost guarantee that less than 5 would say Wellington.
It's a great city, we love it, we market that it's the best little capital in the world, but in no way do I think that actually translates into people from overseas busting to come here. Even less so for Aus players who just see Wellington as being windy and cold.
At my work we bring in at least half a dozen students from overseas every year, for a years work experience, before they go back and do their post graduate degrees. These students are mainly from Europe - specifically Ireland, Sweden, and France. We also get plenty of people from the US, and without fail everyone falls in love with Wellington, people may not want to come here if you ask them cold in the street, but if they live here they tend to want to stay.
I read once where Wellington was refered to as a cult, I don't know if that's good or bad, but shows that we are doing something right, either that or we are all being drugged by Capacity water.
A good chunk of those students that we hire try and return after completing their postgraduate courses, but unfortunately we can't employ all of them, some come back and try and find work in Auckland or Christchurch with the end goal of moving back to Wellington when they get the chance.
I've also spent a reasonable amount of time overseas, working in the US and also spending months in Russia and the UK. I wouldn't discount the lifestyle in Wellington so easily, it's a fairly unique blend of culture and ease of use - nothing really outstanding, but lots of small positives add up, and life here is very easy.
One thing that players have said is the club and city make them feel wanted, I've read interviews with both Bonevacia and Ifill and they said pretty much the same thing, they came here because of the personal touch. We may not be atractive to someone who wants to drive to the high rollers club in a Merc, but fortunately not everyone is motivated by that sort of lifestyle.