YKIA National AI Conference NZ 2027
New Zealand's first national conference for young Kiwis in AI. A full day connecting the country's most AI-engaged students, grads and early-career builders with the people hiring, building and leading in AI.
Novotel Auckland Airport · 200+ attendees
200+
attendees
Full day
8:30 - 5:00
Auckland
12 Feb 2027
At a glance
- What
- New Zealand's first national conference for young Kiwis in AI. A full day of keynotes, talks, panels, a young builders showcase and speed networking, built for students, grads and early-career builders and open to all ages, including mentors, hiring managers and industry.
- When
- Friday 12 February 2027, 8:30am - 5:00pm, with optional networking drinks after.
- Where
- Novotel Auckland Airport, 35 Tom Pearce Drive, Auckland International Airport, Auckland 2022. Steps from the international terminal.
- Who it is for
- Students, grads and early-career builders are the core audience. The conference is open to all ages, including mentors, hiring managers and industry. No experience is required.
The Conference
What it is
YKIA National Conference 2027 is New Zealand's first national conference for young Kiwis in AI. One full day, 200+ attendees, hosted by Young Kiwis in AI (YKIA) - A nationwide community of 350+ young New Zealanders in AI, founded by Blake Harkness (Harkness AI).
Graduated into a World of AI, Christchurch
Who is in the room
Students, grads and early-career AI builders from across New Zealand.
What you get
A day of talks, panels, a young builders showcase, speed networking and real connections.
Where
Novotel Auckland Airport. Steps from the international terminal.
The Day
What to expect
A full day, roughly 8:30am - 5:00pm, with optional networking drinks after.
Keynotes and talks
Opening and closing keynotes, plus short talks from people working in AI.
Panels
What businesses hiring for AI actually want right now, and how AI is used inside large New Zealand businesses.
Young builders showcase
Five young Kiwis pitch what they have built, five minutes each, right before lunch so you can find them after.
Speed networking
Four five-minute rounds with people who share your goal, each with a question on screen to talk about. Connect on LinkedIn with a scan.
Meet the companies
Partner stands where you can talk to the teams hiring and building with AI in New Zealand.
Networking
Long breaks, lunch together and networking drinks from 5pm.
The day at a glance
Friday 12 February, 8:30am - 5:00pm
- 9:20amOpening keynote
- 10:45amHiring: what businesses actually want now
- 11:45amYoung builders showcase
- 2:00pmAfternoon keynote
- 2:25pmSpeed networking
- 3:30pmAI inside large New Zealand businesses
- 4:30pmClosing keynote
Speakers
Who's on stage
People building, hiring and leading in AI across New Zealand. Both keynotes and the young builders showcase are still to be announced.
Amelia Bentley
AI Consultant, Deloitte
4:00pmTalk
Ethics and responsible AI
Blake Harkness
Founder, Young Kiwis in AI and Harkness AI
11:15amTalk
Personal brand in the age of AI
Brodie Dye
AI Integration Engineer, ZURU
3:30pmPanel
AI inside large New Zealand businesses
Read bioHide bio
Brodie Dye is an AI Integration Engineer at ZURU, a global company behind consumer brands, toys and construction technology.
He helps teams across the business get real value from AI, building tools that help teams automate processes, analyse data, and generate insights easily and effectively.
Brodie also runs the Auckland AI Safety meetup, bringing together people interested in making AI go well.
Georgia Singleton
AI Engineer, Trade Me
3:30pmPanel
AI inside large New Zealand businesses
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Georgia is an AI Engineer at Trade Me, building customer-facing AI experiences. Georgia’s current work is on enhancing Trade Me Property Search using Conversational AI, helping people find their next home.
With a background in cloud infrastructure, Georgia treats AI as an engineering discipline, not magic, and uses AI agents daily to build software faster.
Georgia holds a B.Com in Information Systems and Mathematics from the University of Canterbury, and is passionate about supporting the next generation of engineers as they enter the workforce.
Hanna Siebdrat
Founder, Nayamind
9:45amTalk
Breaking in without the perfect path
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Hanna Siebdrat is the founder of Nayamind, an Auckland-based AI operations advisory.
In March 2025 she moved from Germany to New Zealand barely knowing anyone. Today she runs her own company, helps businesses put AI to work, teaches their teams how to use it or actually helps them implement it by building AI automations.
She’ll share how she built her network from zero.
Kieran Lee
Founder and Director, N16 Consulting
10:45amPanel
Hiring: what businesses actually want now
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Kieran Lee is the founder and director of N16 Consulting, helping New Zealand businesses improve how they work and put AI and automation to practical use.
He brings more than 20 years of operations and management consulting experience, with a focus on understanding business problems and delivering measurable improvements.
Having hired through Young Kiwis in AI, Kieran brings an employer’s perspective on the skills and qualities that help emerging AI talent succeed in a consulting team.
Capturing the day
Adam Bone
Event videographer, ABM
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Adam Bone is a 19-year-old entrepreneur and the founder of ABM, a video production and content partner for product and service businesses across Auckland, Nelson and Christchurch.
Adam ran his first company through Young Enterprise, placed second in the country and exited it at the start of 2026. He then moved to Auckland and went full time on ABM, building it into a content partner trusted by brands like Pulsar NZ, AGLX Asia Pacific and Wireless Nation. ABM partners with businesses on a monthly or quarterly basis, planning, shooting and editing content.
More than a lecture hall
Talks to listen to, and people to actually meet
Our meetups already mix talks, demos and open networking. The conference scales that up to a national day, with speed networking and a young builders showcase built in.
For You
Who it is for
Built for young Kiwis in AI. Open to everyone. No experience required.
Students
Figuring out where to start. Come to see what is possible and meet people a few steps ahead of you.
Grads and early-career builders
In your first AI role, or close to it. Find your people, and maybe your next opportunity.
Already building
Shipping projects or working in AI. Share what you know and connect with the wider NZ scene.
Dunedin event
The Community
One community, one room
Young Kiwis in AI runs meetups all over the motu, from Auckland to Christchurch to Dunedin. The conference brings that whole community together in one place for a day - the biggest gathering of young AI builders the country has had.
Kiwis already shipping
The next generation is already building
Young Kiwis in AI on stage at the M2 AI Summit. This is the energy the conference is built to grow.
Tickets
How much are tickets?
Three tickets, priced by where you are in your career. All prices are in NZD and include GST. Early-bird pricing runs until 15 December 2026.
| Ticket | Early-birdto 15 December | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| StudentFor anyone currently studying. | $79 | $99 |
| Young ProfessionalEarly-career, any age. Under 6 years of work experience, career changers welcome. | $149 | $179 |
| Industry6+ years of work experience. Mentors, hiring managers and industry. | $249 | $249 |
- Industry is $249 throughout.
- Every ticket includes full-day entry, every session, a buffet lunch, and morning and afternoon tea.
- Book up to 10 people at once. Full refunds until one month before the conference.
Tickets are on sale now, with early-bird pricing from $79 until 15 December.
Good to know
Conference FAQ
When and where is the YKIA National Conference 2027?
Friday 12 February 2027, 8:30am - 5:00pm, at Novotel Auckland Airport (35 Tom Pearce Drive, Auckland Airport). The venue is a short walk from the international terminal, and networking drinks follow from 5pm.
Who is the conference for?
Students, grads and early-career builders are the core audience. The conference is open to all ages, including mentors, hiring managers and industry. No experience is required.
How much are tickets?
Student $79 early-bird ($99 standard), Young Professional $149 early-bird ($179 standard), early-bird until 15 December 2026. Industry is $249 throughout. All prices NZD including GST.
How do I get a ticket?
Tickets are on sale now, with early-bird pricing from $79 until 15 December. Book on the ticket page and pay by card through Stripe. Your tickets arrive by email straight away.
Who is speaking?
Confirmed so far: Amelia Bentley (Deloitte), Angus Quigley (MC for the day), Brodie Dye (ZURU), Dan Fowlie (Airclerk), Donncha Hand (Blue Horizon AI), Georgia Singleton (Trade Me), Hanna Siebdrat (Nayamind), Kieran Lee (N16 Consulting) and Ollie Cashmore (WeTalk.ai). Both keynotes are still to be announced.
What is on the programme?
Opening and closing keynotes, five talks, two panels (what businesses hiring for AI want now, and AI inside large New Zealand businesses), a young builders showcase and an hour of speed networking. Session times are on the full programme.
What does my ticket include?
Full-day entry from 8:30am, every session, a buffet lunch, and morning and afternoon tea. Networking drinks after 5pm are at your own cost.
Can I get a refund or transfer my ticket?
Full refunds are available until Tuesday 12 January 2027, one month before the conference. After that tickets are non-refundable, but you can transfer yours to someone else until Friday 5 February 2027. Email blake@harknessai.nz with your booking reference.
Partners
Sponsor the conference
Put your team in front of 200+ students, grads and early-career AI builders, with an opt-in talent pool, stage time and a stand on the day. The Student Fly-In Fund lets you bring people in from your own city.
Send a sponsorship enquiry
Founding Partner
A marquee employer or naming sponsor
Talent Partner
Companies actively hiring AI talent
Supporting Partner
Own a named moment of the day, with your team in the room
Community Supporter
Startups, recruiters and solo sponsors
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