The NZ Tech Rally community and its annual conference isn’t just another event packed with buzzwords and polished presentations. Its core mission is to provide inclusive spaces for the Aotearoa tech community to celebrate, connect and grow together. They achieve this through meetups, workshops, annual conferences and on their YouTube channel.
They built a thriving community pre-Covid and are now accelerating. As the community Co-Founder and Director of NZ Tech Rally joined us at Creative HQ to kick back off their community events, we sat down with Camy Bhandari, to hear her goals for this community as the grow in 2026:
Meet Camy Bhandari
“Our vision is for the New Zealand tech sector to be one of the most vibrant and diverse in the world. We focus on showcasing the work being done by people building software in New Zealand and we create opportunities for people to meet each other, share ideas and grow their networks,” she explains.
“We put a lot of care into making our spaces safe, inclusive and accessible. We also share how teams here are using and adapting new technologies in a way that works for our local context. The impact we hope to see is a stronger and more connected tech community. One where people feel they belong, can see what is possible for them and feel supported to grow in their careers. Over time, we hope this contributes to a more diverse and representative tech sector across Aotearoa.”
An ambition to connect the whole tech community
While there are many strong niche tech communities in NZ, there are fewer spaces that bring together the full spectrum of people involved in building technology. The NZ Tech Rally meetups and annual conferences are designed to connect engineers, testers, developers, designers, product people and leaders in one shared space. She says, “that mix matters, because the best outcomes in tech come from collaboration across disciplines, not in silos.”
NZ Tech Rally volunteers and their impact
Almost 90% of the NZ Tech Rally crew are volunteers. Camy says she sees a strong interest from students and people trying to enter the tech industry. “For some of our long-term volunteers, this experience has helped them land full time roles. As a community based organisation, we are invested in making volunteering meaningful. It is not just about helping us run events. It is also about supporting people in their career journeys.”
Creating more diverse and representative role models
Camy noted that leadership across New Zealand tech, including government, large organisations and startups, does not always reflect the diversity of the wider workforce. “We are intentional about changing that through our platform,” she explains. “NZ Tech Rally aims for at least 50% women and gender-diverse speakers, including in keynote roles, alongside strong representation from Māori, Pasifika, Indian, Asian and other communities in Aotearoa.”
She adds that this focus extends beyond gender to include culture, ethnicity and lived experience. “Representation matters. When people see themselves reflected on stage, it creates a sense of belonging and shows what is possible, not just for individuals, but across teams and organisations.”
With the gender gap in Aotearoa’s tech industry still under 30%, Camy sees this as long-term equity work, something they actively advance through speaker lineups and by creating spaces where underrepresented voices are visible and valued.
Championing local voices and experiences
“We are deeply focused on growing our local ecosystem,” says Camy. “Our speakers are primarily based in New Zealand and our content centres on real experiences from local teams. We are not trying to import perspectives from overseas; instead, we want to highlight how technology is being built here in Aotearoa, with all its unique challenges and opportunities. Ultimately, our meetups and conferences show what a diverse, inclusive tech community can look like in Aotearoa. We hope this provides a practical example and encourages other organisations to take similar steps.”
A fair and transparent speaker selection process
One thing the NZ Tech Rally committee is proud of is its speaker selection and compensation process. For NZ Tech Rally 2026, they received 110 talk submissions for 23 speaking slots. All talks are reviewed through a blind evaluation process by a selection committee. They carefully build a programme that reflects a diverse range of voices and experiences.
We joined Camy for the first events in 2026 – and wanted to spotlight some of the people growing this community back again in Wellington:
If you stepped into the first NZ Tech Rally meetup of 2026, one thing was immediately clear, it wasn’t just about the talks. It was the energy in the room. Conversations buzzing, people reconnecting, new introductions happening everywhere you look. Built by the community for the community, NZ Tech Rally has quickly become one of New Zealand’s most authentic and inclusive gatherings for people working in tech.
We spoke with the guest speakers to hear their thoughts on the community:
Stuart Whitehead
Stuart Whitehead from HNRY and he described the NZ Tech Rally meetup as a space where the industry really comes alive. Where ideas, opportunities and experiences naturally mix. It’s not just networking in the formal sense, but something more organic. You might hear about an interesting project, stumble into a job opportunity, or simply leave feeling more motivated than when you arrived. What makes the meetup series especially valuable, he noted, is its accessibility. Unlike full-day conferences, these shorter, more regular events make it easier for people to stay connected without stepping too far away from their day-to-day commitments.
Chloe Gunn
Chloe Gunn is a CX Designer at Kiwibank. She kicked things off at the first 2026 NZ Tech Rally meet up with a discussion on ‘Unlocking Your Brain’s Edge with AI’. She shared how AI can make day-to-day thinking easier. Helping you learn faster, cut down mental overload and handle tricky conversations with more clarity.
For Chloe, the importance of these events hits on a more personal level, especially in today’s job market. With so many applicants competing for the same roles, getting face-to-face time can make all the difference. She spoke candidly about how real opportunities often come from simple human moments. Reaching out, having a conversation, making a genuine impression. Meetups like this offer something you can’t replicate online: authentic connection.
Mrinal Mukherjee
Mrinal Mukherjee is an engineering Leader at Bank of New Zealand. His ‘Engineering Management: Not Quite What They Told You’ talk shared the messy realities of leading teams, balancing delivery, people and chaos. Packed with stories, humour and practical lessons, Mrinal’s talk offered insights to help new managers prepare, reassures experienced leaders and gave everyone useful tips for navigating the trickier sides of leadership.
For Mrinal, the NZ Tech Rally is important for the community. In a smaller tech ecosystem like Wellington’s, these gatherings play a crucial role in sharing knowledge and giving back. He pointed out that many people in tech benefit from community-driven learning.
Momentum building: The March Meet up
The second NZ Tech Rally meet up celebrated International Women’s Day 2026 and the incredible wāhine community builders across Aotearoa. Alyce Lysaght, Pauli Sosa, Erica Anderson and Rachel Collingridge shared their stories and mahi, offering powerful insights into their journeys and the impact they’ve made within the tech and engineering community.
Let’s meet some of the speakers:
Alyce Lysaght
Alyce Lysaght (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Pākehā) is an engineer and Infrastructure Adviser at Manatū Aorere | MFAT. Alyce founded the Māori in Engineering podcast while at university and now the kaupapa shares over 40 stories, using storytelling to amplify Māori voices, lived experiences and pathways within engineering.
For Alyce, there’s something special about people choosing to show up. After a full day of mahi, it would be easy to head home but instead, people come together out of curiosity and a genuine desire to connect. Whether it’s the conversations, the shared energy, or even something as simple as kai and a friendly face, these events create an environment where connections happen naturally. She also highlighted that conversations around access and inclusion in tech are still very real, making spaces like this even more important for building community in a positive, intentional way.
Pauli Sosa
Pauli Sosa is a Project Manager at Investment at Auckland Council and a community builder passionate about connection and impact.
Pauli delivers Auckland Startup Week, created Migrants in Tech, co-founded MUV Talks, facilitates Startup Weekend Auckland and curates Startup Digest Aotearoa New Zealand, focusing on inclusive, people-centred ecosystem growth.
She echoed the importance of in-person connection, emphasising that real-life spaces allow for deeper, more meaningful interactions. Beyond just talking about tech, these gatherings open the door to new ideas, different perspectives and a stronger sense of belonging. For her, it’s about creating a shared space where people can learn from each other, explore opportunities and feel part of something bigger. The diversity of voices in the room plays a big role here too, Pauli explains. The more perspectives you bring together, the richer the conversations and the better the outcomes.
Erica Anderson
Erica is a security leader with experience in multiple disciplines. She is currently the Co-Founder and Director of a cyber security startup called SafeStack and a Security Engineering Manager at GitLab. Erica also organises Kawaiicon, the longest running security conference in Aotearoa.
Erica Anderson highlighted how valuable these spaces are in a city like Wellington, where a diverse mix of disciplines, startups and organisations all intersect. Meetups like this allow people to step outside their own niche, learn from others and challenge their thinking. That cross-disciplinary exposure doesn’t just build knowledge, it shapes better professionals. More importantly, it builds a support network. In an industry where challenges can sometimes feel isolating, having a community to turn to can make all the difference. That kind of peer support, she noted, can help people stay motivated and continue in the industry rather than feeling pushed out.
Rachel Collingridge
Rachel is a senior engineering leader focused on building strong teams and meaningful outcomes. She works with engineering managers, senior leaders and product teams to support sustainable delivery and growth. Rachel is also a long-term NZ Tech Rally community contributor.
Rachel described the second meetup as “a bit meta”. A community coming together to talk about building communities. That idea really captures the essence of NZ Tech Rally. There’s also a strong sense of reflection and growth tied to these events. People might attend to learn something specific, but often leave with much more: new connections, shared experiences and the reassurance that they’re not alone in the challenges they face.
“I think that people reaching out to find knowledge from others is just the best way to keep continually improving rather than having that knowledge siloed.” Rachel explains. It’s this mix of professional and social value that keeps people coming back.
Now, the main event: NZ Tech Rally 2026
You’ve met some of the amazing people in this community – so now come experience it for yourself.
The NZ Tech Rally 2026 conference is happening on 15th May in the TĀKINA in Wellington. Join them as they share real stories and practical local solutions from a panel of developers, testers, platform engineers, product owners, business analysts, data specialists, designers, UX researchers, managers, and technology leaders.
Register here: NZ Tech Rally 2026
