Hey everybody,

We have a lot of distinctions for Welly scientists, designers, and engineers this week. So just a normal week, amirite 😎 There is also a second item on the RNZ election policy guide under Technology, let’s hope we get more soon. Will those act as a differentiator or will we see consensus? We also have positive stories on our economy, which is becoming normal and feels very good, like we are accomplishing a key goal as a Welly-cheerleading community!

Let’s make some more Welly success stories at HackAotearoa this Friday! If you know of one that’s fully formed but not on the ecosystem map, let us know 🗺

We have more and more allies flying the “Welly is fine, bro” banner 🚩 Chamber CE Hayley Horan argues the capital is undergoing a structural transition, not a terminal slide. And we even have Auckland people writing about the numbers that back this up! Caffeine Daily is covering the recent Creative HQ report to counter the "ghost town" narrative, and dangling that 27% YoY revenue growth figure to entice the rest of the country to follow.

Drawing on a recent Royal Society report, one of the authors advocates for funding to stay in line with the economy as a whole, rather than become devalued by inflation. This is presented as a tension between relying on innate "Number 8 wire" resourcefulness vs committing to sustained, cross-party capital investment. I’ll challenge that "the country lacks software and computer services" as SaaS represents a sizeable chunk of our exports. Worth a read if you are into publicly funded R&D.

One of the quotes from the article is from Marie Curie: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” Which brings me to AI! Couldn’t help myself 😬

The integration of artificial intelligence into public education is prompting a debate on procurement. The Tertiary Education Commission recently tendered for an AI deal to cover up to 420,000 users across Aotearoa's universities and polytechnics. However, the Tertiary Education Union and student bodies are pushing back, arguing the rollout is being treated purely as an IT procurement exercise without adequate consultation. Is this something that provosts and directors should be able to pass, or do you think it needs end-user consultation?

We have 2x as much AI policy in the election arena as we did last week! The Greens’ Safe, Sovereign AI shares core anxieties with the policy proposed by Labour in September but differs in stance, reading more as a precautionary regulatory framework. Big themes include mandatory human oversight, strict training data consent, IP remuneration, and high environmental thresholds. Clear positions on open-source adoption and sovereign AI, algorithm audit mandates and infrastructure constraints.

Malaghan Institute Director Kjesten Wiig was one of 24 NZ leaders interviewed in the recent NZ Herald Future of New Zealand Debate. The segment also included a video feature, showcasing Malaghan as an exemplar of people-centred innovation. It was also the only ‘leader’ contribution to be explicitly named by one of the politicians in the debate segment. #wellyscience #awyeah 😎

Humble Bee Bio is raising up to $4M on Snowball to develop a bee-derived peptide that stimulates natural elastin production to combat skin aging.

Alexandra Vidyuk, CEO of US fund Beyond Earth Ventures is in New Zealand seeking to turn "scientists into billionaires." Sounds like a good deal if you’re in deep tech.

Serge van Dam and Lauren Parsons are establishing a monthly Wellington meetup for sales, marketing, and GTM professionals to present AI use cases and share practical tinkering insights. Tell them you’re keen as a bean. (I don’t know if that’s a strict passphrase).

Are you the next NZ podcast star? I think you are! Startup Theatre is heading to Wellington and host Troy Hammond is looking for compelling local startup stories, successes, and failures to feature on the show.

Business Central and Welly Chamber have a survey out to validate their new subscription model. For a quick opportunity to influence regional business support structures, take the survey.

Connection is our big strength, but taking the next step is where the magic happens. Tech NZ is recruiting a Community Engagement Lead to drive engagement across their Member Hub, nice to see.

The New Zealand Institute for Advanced Technology has appointed venture builder Roman Reyhani as Chief Executive. (Presumably Aucks based, but important for everyone). “Whether it was rockets launching off the coast of Māhia or New Zealand companies increasingly competing on the world stage, Roman saw a country becoming more confident about its technology potential.” 😎

Highlighted entries are new from last week.

Fri, Oct 16th, HackAotearoa: Co-working for startup builders, session #3 🛠 Come for a focussed workday, or just drop by for beers at 4pm 😁

Tue, Oct 20th, 5–7:30pm, Aurora Climate Lab launch night, meet the founders of cohort 6.

Thu, Oct 22nd, Show Me the Money is three events in one day. Choose one, two, or all three of the following startup essentials:

Wed, Oct 28th, 12:30am–1:30pm, The future of clinical workstations: designing secure, seamless and clinician-first access to healthcare technology, online.

Thu, Oct 29th, 3–5pm, CREATIVITY 101, because creativity begets innovation.

Thu, Oct 29th, 5:30–8pm, Wellington UniVentures & Booster NZ Showcase at Rutherford House.

Fri, Oct 30th, 4:30–6:30pm, Biotech ‘n’ Beers at Fork and Brewer.

30–31 Oct, Kawaiicon 4 at the Michael Fowler Centre no less.

Thu, Nov 12th, 5–6:30 pm, EdTech Community Connect at Taiawa.

Tue, Nov 17th, Superconductor Valley 2026 by Paihau—Robinson Research Institute, at Rutherford House.

26-27 Nov, Indigenous Tech Summit at Tākina

9–12 Feb 2027, eResearch NZ comes to Wellington.

15-17 Mar 2027, Life Sciences Summit at Tākina, early bird member tickets out.

17-18 Mar 2027, FinTech Hui Taumata at Tākina.

22-23 Mar 2027, National Cybersecurity Summit at Tākina.

23 Mar 2027, Digitising Government at Tākina.

Fri, May 7th 2027, NZ Tech Rally on a Super Early Bird launch.

The Atom at Victoria is open for any unfunded Founders (Students, Early Stage, Idea Stage) and is run by Tania Jones, with entrepreneurs in Residence, Parisa Shademan, Jack Shennan, and Alistair St Pierre and investors in residence Dave Moskovitz, Aaron Scott & Ralph Highnam. Email or join the Facebook community.