There are plenty of places for young New Zealanders to compete in sport and academics and be celebrated for their success. There are far fewer places where a teenager can spend an entire weekend building apps, games and even robots! Amazing technology students were being ignored – but not any longer thanks to KiwiHacks.

KiwiHacks is New Zealand’s largest high school hackathon club run by teens. It organises free tech competitions for students 18 and under. The events are like a creative sprint with students collaborating, learning new skills, and turning an idea into a working piece of technology.

KiwiHacks started when an overseas hackathon experience prompted 15-year-old Niko Purdie to reflect on New Zealand’s lack of accessible, collaborative spaces for Kiwi youth interested in tech. He wanted to foster a community of passionate young Kiwi tech talent to meet and create together. In November 2024, he ran his first 24-hour hackathon alone with 10 attendees. The next had 25 KiwiHackers, and then 60 at the event after that!

Over the next few months, Niko built a team of seven exceptional high schoolers who share his passion. Now, they work together to create larger, cooler and more impactful events. Last May’s KiwiHacks 2026, was the first flagship hackathon, bringing together more than 100 secondary school students. Over 24 hours, young Kiwis of all experience levels gained the confidence to build and share something they were proud of. As one participant shared, “I loved getting to work all day on something and having fun with new people.”

Fun and accessible

KiwiHacks is designed to be a fun and accessible way for students to explore technology, especially for those who may not currently have access to coding programmes at school.

All high schoolers aged 13-18 are welcome. Mentors are always available throughout KiwiHacks events and beginner-friendly workshops mean students don’t need any prior experience. Food, drinks and swag are all included, and everything is completely free thanks to generous sponsors.

For many attendees, these events are their first experience building something with technology outside the classroom. Whether they’re creating their first game, designing a website, experimenting with artificial intelligence, or building an app to solve a real-world problem, KiwiHacks events show teenagers that technology is something they can create with, not just consume. They’ve empowered more than 250 young Kiwis to discover what they’re capable of.

KiwiHacks Nova

KiwiHacks has grown from one teenager’s insight into a national community of young creators. Now, it’s taking the next step. Last June, it announced KiwiHacks Nova, a series of three hackathons across New Zealand, taking place during the Term 3 holidays. A nova is a star that suddenly bursts bright and that’s the idea: light up Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland with students building real things.

The dates are:

• Wellington: 28-29 September
• Christchurch: 2-3 October
• Auckland: 9-10 October

Nova will be a chance for students to meet new people, learn new skills, and build something they’re actually proud of, whether that’s an app, a game, a website, a hardware project, or something nobody has seen before! You team up, you get 24 hours, and you ship.

If you have students who’d like to participate, learn more and sign up at nova.kiwihacks.org. Or any questions, email niko@kiwihacks.org.

Article by Christie Berenshteyn.

INTERFACE August 2026