Hey everybody,

📣 Special announcement! We are proud to support the Welly chapter of Hack Aotearoa, launching in September by our friends at What Founders Want. Combined with a couple of new pre-accelerator programmes that’s a few more steps toward making Wellington the best (and coolest!) place in the world to start a new business 😎

🗓 And save the date for WellyForge #10! Wed, Sep 23rd, 6–8pm at Gracefield. The show will be sponsored by Robinson, CHIASMA and Gracefield Innovation Quarter. We have a deep tech lineup that will cover hydrogen in ironmaking and superconducting components for quantum computing ✨ Booking page and logistics coming soon.

On the heels of the Digital Skills Aotearoa report, Ministry of Education has announced new industry-led subjects to directly link secondary curriculum with commercial tech careers.

On the skills front, last week I wrote about the small core of power users that puts NZ near the top of AI usage overall. John-Daniel Trask’s post tackles AI cost in detail: $1000s per employee in the top decile compared to a $12 median. Is it then better to think about it as a salary cost rather than a SaaS cost? Now, I’m not an unconditional pusher of AI, so here is a great summary of research on the effects of this technology on our cognition by Andrew Lensen. A fine balance 🧘

But AI isn’t a one-trick pony, either. Ifor Ffowcs-Williams writes about this toolkit as a vehicle for regional development in Unshackling NZ's Economy (+commentary by Rod McNaughton). As encoded knowledge becomes affordable and readily accessible, trusted networks within regions can turn into decision infrastructure. You’re one of these networks! Keep forging 🛠

With the dust settling on the science reforms, Newsroom explores whether philanthropic endowments and private foundations can step in to guarantee long-term funding. I’m on board: at the Malaghan I have come to know just how generous people can be when the cause is right.

New Zealand's Security Threat Environment 2026 report maps the challenges of foreign interference, cyber-enabled espionage, and insider threats, all amplified by geopolitical volatility.

And just a little bit of data centre news: Still on the sovereign compute, there is a new Tech New Zealand Data Centre Strategy. Catalyst's Don Christie challenged the narrative of “abundant renewable energy” and sparked a discussion about generation capacity and infrastructure resilience.

There’s a cool new thing on Welly’s builder scene: HackAotearoa Wellington is a free fortnightly co-working day for founders, indie hackers, designers and makers. No speakers, no programme, no pitching - one full day, every second Friday, building alongside other people doing the same. Open to all builders: deep tech, SaaS, bootstrappers, SMEs, physical products. Booking link to come (looking like Sep 4th). Makes me want to start a startup!

Creative HQ has opened applications for GovTech Activate and Fintech Activate, two cost- and equity-free 10-week pre-accelerators kicking off 28 September. Looking back a decade to the pioneering R9 Accelerator, Jonnie Haddon notes that with $13B in forecast public sector tech procurement, there is plenty of government appetite for startup collaboration. Applications close 2 September.

Tech New Zealand is launching Quantum & Photonics New Zealand, a good opportunity to group researchers and deep-tech founders.

Bastion Security is launching this year's Hacking for Heroes programme, expanding to Australian NFPs alongside Kiwi groups. Plus there is a $160,000 budget of pro-bono security consultancy. Applications close 28 August.

And two summaries of local events:

Highlighted entries are new from last week.

Wed, Aug 19, 12:30pm, AI and digital transformation in Allied Health Scientific and Technical webinar by Health Informatics NZ.

Aug 24–25, GEN NZ Unconference and Workshops at Rutherford House. Check out this preview, with one name yet to be announced 😅

Tue, Aug 25th, 7:15–8:30am, Beehive to Business session six by Chamber of Commerce.

Thu, Aug 27th, 5:30–9pm, AI in Large Organisations + Student Innovation Showcase, super-sizes the monthly AI Engineering meetup.

Wed, Sep 2nd, 7–8:30am, Welly Chamber hosts An hour with the Prime Minister

Wed, Sep 2nd, 5:15–7:30pm, Own your AI: Make AI-powered products built on custom and small LLMs by Wellington AI at Creative HQ.

Thu, Sep 3rd, 5:30–6:30pm, Building from scratch: How materials science is decarbonising the world is the inaugural lecture of incoming VUW Prof Franck Natali.

Fri, Sep 4th, 4–5:30pm, The AI-driven future of biotechnology in New Zealand at AI and Society.

8–9 Sep, Aotearoa AI Summit at Tākina.

Fri, Sep 11th, 4–5:30pm, All the time in the world: AI-driven computation hones lab work and frees human hands and brains for creative work at AI and Society.

Mon, Sep 14th, 5–7pm, Summer of Tech Intern Job Fair at Hnry Stadium ✨

Thu, Sep 24th, SaaSpocalypse Now at Hnry Stadium, Aotearoa’s premier SaaS gathering, hosted by KiwiSaaS.

Tue, Aug 25th, 5:30–7:30pm, Searching for Life Beyond Earth: Lessons from Antarctica 🥶

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

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.