You'll find HR consultants for pretty much all big companies and govt (incl Fonterra, TradeMe, GCSB, IRD, Frucor, to name a few) will throw your CV in the trash if you don't have a degree. Luckily in this country it's much easier to get your foot in the door through meet-and-greet.

Want to meet a developer from Xero? Tweet 'em. No luck? Ask somebody you know if they know someone who works there, likely they or someone they know does.