KiwiHacks
New Zealand's first high school hackathon club, bringing teens together to build, ship, and share real software in 12-to-24-hour hackathons.
Impact
Growing from 10 to 60+ attendees across four hackathons since November 2024. Every attendee leaves with a fully deployed app. Weekly Sunday Coding Club teaches beginners to ship software. Promotional support from 10+ Auckland high schools.
Ethics & Responsibility
Free, open to all skill levels, no barriers to entry. Run by high schoolers for high schoolers, creating accessible pathways into technology careers for young New Zealanders.
Project Details
About KiwiHacks
While Australia and the United States have had thriving teen hackathon scenes for over six years, New Zealand has had none — until KiwiHacks. Founded by Auckland high schooler Niko Purdie, KiwiHacks organises software and hardware-based hackathons that give Kiwi teens real-world experience building, shipping, and sharing what they create.
What Happens at a KiwiHack
KiwiHackers have built hardware contraptions, designed games using open-source engines, coded websites, and trained their own AI models. Events run 12 to 24 hours in a time-constrained, creative, and open environment. Every attendee leaves with a fully deployed app — and the confidence that comes from turning an idea into reality.
Traction
Since their first event in November 2024, KiwiHacks has run four hackathons with 3x growth in registrations and 2x growth in attendance. Their September 2025 event achieved a Net Promoter Score of 91. They also run a weekly Sunday Coding Club retaining 10+ students, where beginners learn to ship software.
2026 Plans
KiwiHacks is planning four events across 2026, targeting 100 attendees at each — including game jams, a main hackathon, and a hardware build. They’re establishing trust-based relationships with parents, schools, and sponsors to create a sustainable youth hackathon culture in New Zealand.
Get involved
Visit the project site to learn more or connect with the team.
Get Involved