YKIA National Conference 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 · 150+ attendees
150+
attendees
Full day
8:30 - 5:00
Auckland
12 Feb 2027
The Conference
What it is
YKIA National Conference 2027 is New Zealand's first national conference for young Kiwis in AI. One full day, 150+ attendees, hosted by Young Kiwis in AI (YKIA) - A nationwide community of 170+ 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, hands-on building, demos, awards 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.
Keynote talks
Keynote and speaker lineup to be announced.
Panels
People working in AI across NZ business, on how they got there.
Hands-on build workshop
Roll up your sleeves and build something live.
Lightning-talk demos
Young builders showing what they have made.
Awards
Celebrating standout work from the community.
Networking
Plenty of time to meet the room, plus optional drinks after.
Hands-on all day
Talks to listen to, and things to actually build
Our meetups already mix demos, workshops and lightning talks. The conference scales that up to a full national day.
For You
Who it is for
Anyone young and curious about AI. 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
A YKIA team pitching at the Christchurch SaaSathon. This is the energy the conference is built to grow.
Waitlist
Be first in line
Registration is not open yet. Join the waitlist and you will be first to know when it opens. Keen to sponsor or partner instead? Switch to the sponsoring tab.