Please find a seat
Aotearoa AI Hackathon Festival 2026
Stand if you are able
Karakia Tīmatanga
Kia hora te marino
May peace be widespread
Kia whakapapa pounamu te moana
May the sea be like greenstone
Hei huarahi mā tātou i te rangi nei
A pathway for us all this day
Aroha atu, aroha mai
Let us show respect for each other
Tātou i ā tātou katoa
For one another
Hui e, taiki e!
Bind us all together
Over to Tek
Greetings from AUT
Tek opens the weekend on behalf of AUT
Professor Tek Tjing Lie
Head of School
Engineering, Computer & Mathematical Sciences — Design & Creative Technologies
Thirty seconds, then we begin
Health & Safety
- Find the nearest fire exits before we start
- Follow staff to the assembly point in an evacuation
- First aid and accessible facilities are available on request
- AUT security, any emergency: 0800 288 7233
- Keep your bag and devices with you
From here it is yours
01
Aotearoa AI Hackathon Festival 2026
7–8 August 2026 · AUT City Campus
Get online first
Venue Wi-Fi
AUT guest network, and the same login both days
- Network
AUTwifi
- Username
ai-hack-a-thon@guest
- Password
69244539
Doors at five, dinner first
Tonight
Three hours, and you will leave with a team
- 5:00–5:30pmRegistration, networking & dinner
- 5:30–5:40pmOpening, welcome & safety briefing
- 5:40–5:50pmShe Sharp introduction
- 5:50–6:10pmKeynote speaker session
- 6:10–6:50pmTeam forming
- 6:50–7:05pmOverview of day two
- 7:05–7:15pmProblems, requirements & judging criteria
- 7:15–7:20pmF&P on their two briefs
- 7:20–7:30pmMentor introductions
- 7:30–7:35pmGroup photo
- 7:35–8:00pmTeam strategy planning
- 8:00pmClose of day one
Tonight's rooms
Where to Find Things
Every room is in the Sir Paul Reeves Building, the WG building
- WG308, the Wave Room — tonight's opening and keynote
- WG306, the foyer — registration, dinner and coffee
- WG128, WG128A, WG129 and WG100D — team spaces
Different rooms tomorrow
Where to Find Things Tomorrow
The whole building opens up, and the mentors move
- WG308, the Wave Room — pitches and awards
- WG306, the foyer — registration, catering and breaks
- WG403 and WG404 — lecture theatres for teams
- WG607–609, WG701–703, WG801–803 and WG808 — team rooms
- WG809 — the mentor room, all day
Running since 2014
We are She Sharp
She Sharp is a New Zealand non-profit bridging the gender gap in STEM, one woman at a time
Interrupt any of us today
The She Sharp Team
Find any of us today — we are here to help
Mahsa McCauley
Mike McCauley
Meeta Patel
Prasanth Pavithran
Sara Ghafoor
Chan Meng
Marriane Bentigan
Gurleen Kaur
Yesha Kaniyawala
Len Estioko
Lesley Gao
Nikita Kumari
Tharaneetharan Thavarasan
Nirmala Chinnappan
Moksha Shah
Every number here is people
Our Impact
3500+
Active Members
96+
Events Since 2014
50+
Partner Companies
500+
Career Success Stories
With thanks to them all
Our Sponsors & Partners
None of this happens without the organisations behind it
Current partners
Supporters since 2014
Scan now, read later
Stay Connected
Everything we run is announced on these channels first
- open.spotify.com
- @shesharpnz
- @shesharpnz
- @shesharpnz
- @shesharpnz
- youtube.com
She Sharp website
shesharp.org.nz
Upcoming events
shesharp.org.nz/events
She Sharp on LinkedIn
linkedin.com/company/shesharpnz
She Sharp is a registered New Zealand charity, CC57025.
Rach Monks
Founder of AI for X and X-Bot Games
One tap, no typing
How Are You Feeling?
Scan, pick the answer that fits, and see where the rest of the room is
- Scan the code and answer in one tap
- It opens in your browser, nothing to install
How are you feeling?
app.sli.do
Tonight and all tomorrow
How the Two Days Run
- Friday night: welcome, themes, team forming, build begins
- Saturday: build, pitch practice, pitches, winner announced
- Venue winners go forward to national judging
- One winner to pitch at the Aotearoa AI Summit
Choose before you build
02
The Challenge
Five real-world themes drawn from the UN Sustainable Development Goals
From the UN SDG goals
Five Real-World Challenges
Pick the one your team actually cares about
- 01
Food Security
Tackling food insecurity in a food-exporting nation
- 02
Digital Accessibility
Enhancing digital accessibility for all communities
- 03
Workforce Upskilling
Upskilling the workforce for an AI-driven future
- 04
Collaboration
Fostering cross-border, cross-sector collaboration
- 05
Kaitiakitanga
Honouring indigenous environmental custodianship
Seventeen, and they connect
The UN Sustainable Development Goals
Every theme tonight comes from one of these
Brought by the sponsors
03
Featured Problems
Three briefs written by the organisations that actually have them
Watch before you build
F&P Healthcare: Facilities Helpdesk
An AI front door for maintenance and facilities requests
- Structured intake in plain language, in their own words
- Consistent priority, escalation and live status for requestors
- Care by Design: people and process ahead of technology
Care by Design
youtu.be/n9UPiqziB9c
Drone footage, twenty-year timescale
F&P Healthcare: Restoration Intelligence
Turning annual drone surveys into measurable ecological outcomes
- Three thousand natives planted at Karaka since 2023
- Monitoring needs ecologists, GIS specialists and fieldwork today
- Automate the analysis of yearly drone imagery
- Measure survival, canopy cover, weeds and regeneration
Woolworths and Kai Commitment
Food Waste, Farm to Fork
Reducing food waste across a whole national supply chain
- Identify where waste happens along the supply chain
- Fill the data gaps nobody currently measures
- Optimise ordering, storage and distribution with AI
- Improve collaboration between growers, retailers and charities
Forty minutes from now
Pick the one you'd stay for
The problem you choose shapes the whole weekend
Nobody builds alone here
Forming Your Team
Register alone or arrive with a team — both work
- Join a team tonight if you came on your own
- Three to six people works best
- Mix technical, design, domain and commercial skills
- Mentors will help you find each other
The next forty minutes
Talk to someone you didn't arrive with
Team forming is the loudest forty minutes of the weekend
Mentors are circulating now
Team Forming
40:00
Forty minutes to find your people and your problem
Overview of tomorrow
Space — start / pause · → — continue
Three codes, one weekend
Everything You Need Tonight
Your team channel, the assistant, and the pitch template
Event Discord
discord.gg/Z5heYsa7W
Event AI assistant
hackathon.shesharp.org.nz
Pitch deck template
shesharp.org.nz/docs
Post your table number in your team's Discord channel so we can find you.
First of three groups
Meet the Mentors
Ask early and ask often — this is what they are here for
Prasanth Pavithran
AUT
Ji Ruan
AUT
Alan Dent
AUT
Harpreet Singh
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Chan Meng
ArchCanvas
Yesha Kaniyawala
Possibl.ai
Second of three
Meet the Mentors
Mark Modricker
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Jacob Mathew
Southern Cross Health Society
Fazeena Jamaldeen
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Annabel Valdez-Chiong
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Chase Bloch
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Colin Coutts
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
And the rest of them
Meet the Mentors
Keming Wang
Klugent Limited
Andreas Spanner
Red Hat
Mandi Buswell
Red Hat
Sara Ghafoor
Entelar Group
Isha Sangrolkar
AUT
Ask before you are stuck
None of them mind being interrupted
Waiting until you are stuck costs you the hour you needed
They will not build it
How Mentors Help
- Technical experts sense-check your design and suggest alternatives
- Subject matter experts know whether your solution helps
- Business experts shape a pitch that lands
Tomorrow comes down to this
04
The Pitch
How you are scored, and the five minutes you get to do it in
Four numbers, one to five
How Teams Are Judged
Four equally weighted criteria, scored one to five each
Inspiration
A defined problem, a real solution, real impact
1–5Technology
Uses AI, feasible, well engineered, prototype recommended
1–5Design & Innovation
Originality, user experience, inventive use of technology
1–5Presentation
Clear, creative, answers questions inside five minutes
1–5
Two scorecards: the TAIAO scorecard weights all four categories equally, the Technical Brilliance scorecard leans towards Technology. Judges from the last five festivals advise focusing on three things — is it an important UN Sustainable Development Goal problem, is the solution feasible, and will it make an impact. Every pitch is recorded and all panel decisions are final.
The clock does not stop
Your Five-Minute Pitch
Five minutes, four sections, one first impression
- 30 secConnect: who you are
- 1 minThe problem, humanised and evidenced
- 2 minYour big idea, with prototype
- 1.5 minFuture impact and what you need
Not a blank page
The Pitch Deck Template
The slide order the judges are expecting, ready to fill in
- Same four sections as the five minutes you just saw
- Download it tonight — the venue wifi is busiest tomorrow
- Bring a PDF copy in case the laptop fights you
Pitch deck template
shesharp.org.nz/docs
They see your idea once
Meet the Judges
The panel you pitch to tomorrow afternoon
Nicholas Fourie
Vice President, ICT
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Dr. Mahsa Mohaghegh (McCauley)
Head of Computer & Information Sciences
AUT
Abby Dowd
Senior Director, AI Strategy
AUT
Ming Cheuk
CTO & Co-founder
ElementX
Four of these exist
Prizes & Awards
$250
Won in this roomVenue winning team
Announced here tomorrow evening
2nd
Won in this roomVenue runner-up
A prize for every team member
$1,000
National prizeNational TAIAO Prize
Summit audience vote
$1,000
National prizeNational Technical Brilliance
National judging panel
The national winner pitches at the Aotearoa AI Summit in September.
Eight other rooms, doing this
A Nationwide Festival
Nine venues hacking across Aotearoa between 3 and 10 August
- Venues from Auckland to Dunedin run the same brief
- Every venue records its pitches and picks a winner
- A national panel then selects one winner
- That winner pitches at the Aotearoa AI Summit, Wellington
Everyone to the front, please
Group Photo, Then Strategy
30:00
Thirty minutes with your team, then we close
Day one closes at 8:00pm
Space — start / pause · → — continue
Build, pitch, then a winner
05
Day Two
Saturday 8 August — build, pitch, and the venue winner
Coffee from half seven
Today
Presentations start at 4:00pm and awards at 7:00pm
- 7:30–8:00amArrival, coffee & tea
- 8:00–8:10amDay two opening + team workspaces
- 8:10am–12:15pmTeam build with mentor support
- 12:15–1:00pmLunch
- 1:00–1:15pmPrepare for pitch practice
- 1:15–2:00pmPitch practice with mentors
- 2:00–3:00pmFinal pitch updates
- 3:00–3:30pmSlides due, judges arrive
- 3:00–3:15pmAfternoon tea (grab and go)
- 3:15–4:00pmTech check with the teams
- 4:00–6:30pmFinal presentations to judges
- 6:30–7:00pmJudges' deliberation + networking + dinner
- 7:00–7:30pmAwards announcement
- 7:30pmClosing & group photo
More rooms than last night
Where to Find Things Today
Your team has a room — check Discord for which one
- WG308, the Wave Room — pitches and awards
- WG306, the foyer — registration, catering and breaks
- WG403 and WG404 — lecture theatres for teams
- WG607–609, WG701–703, WG801–803 and WG808 — team rooms
- WG809 — the mentor room, all day
Taken at the group photo
The Teams
Everyone who formed a team on Friday night
Find your name, then sit
Today's Teams
Twelve teams are with us today
- 01kpi-kaitiaki-positive-impact
- 02caffeine
- 03kailine
- 04arara
- 05route
- 06devacces
- 07kanorao
- 08fantastic6
- 09kaitiakidata
- 10kai-sense-ai
- 11super-6
- 125-senses
Four hours, then lunch
Build the thing you can show
A demo of one working piece beats a description of ten
Most teams split at midday
Build With Your Mentors
- Pitch prep starts 10:00am
- Split the team: keep building, start pitching
- Regroup thirty minutes before pitching
Mentors eat with the teams
Lunch
45:00
Eat away from your laptop — the afternoon is long
Prepare for pitch practice
Space — start / pause · → — continue
Slides open, laptops charged
Prepare for Pitch Practice
15:00
Fifteen minutes to get your deck in front of you
Pitch practice with mentors
Space — start / pause · → — continue
Time each section now
Five Minutes, Section by Section
Practise to the clock, not to the slide count
- 30 secConnect: who you are
- 1 minThe problem, humanised and evidenced
- 2 minYour big idea, with prototype
- 1.5 minFuture impact and what you need
One mentor per team
Pitch Practice
45:00
Forty-five minutes with a mentor watching the clock
Final pitch updates
Space — start / pause · → — continue
Name your weakest one aloud
Remember How You're Scored
The same four criteria the panel will use this afternoon
Inspiration
A defined problem, a real solution, real impact
1–5Technology
Uses AI, feasible, well engineered, prototype recommended
1–5Design & Innovation
Originality, user experience, inventive use of technology
1–5Presentation
Clear, creative, answers questions inside five minutes
1–5
Two scorecards: the TAIAO scorecard weights all four categories equally, the Technical Brilliance scorecard leans towards Technology. Judges from the last five festivals advise focusing on three things — is it an important UN Sustainable Development Goal problem, is the solution feasible, and will it make an impact. Every pitch is recorded and all panel decisions are final.
Change one thing, not five
Final Pitch Updates
60:00
An hour to act on what the mentors just told you
Afternoon tea at 3:00pm
Space — start / pause · → — continue
Grab and go, please
Afternoon Tea
15:00
Tech check begins as soon as we are back
Tech check
Space — start / pause · → — continue
Four things, then quiet
Before You Pitch
The last few things to get right this afternoon
- Send your slides to She Sharp by 3:00pm
- One person per team for the tech check
- Every pitch is recorded for the national panel
- Presentation order goes up after the tech check
- Five minutes each, and the clock does not stop
One laptop at a time
Tech Check
15:00
Every team on the projector before we start
Final presentations at 3:30pm
Space — start / pause · → — continue
Find yourself, then count
Presentation Order
Be ready two teams before you are called
- 1stkpi-kaitiaki-positive-impact
- 2ndcaffeine
- 3rdkailine
- 4tharara
- 5throute
- 6thdevacces
- 7thkanorao
- 8thfantastic6
- 9thkaitiakidata
- 10thkai-sense-ai
- 11thsuper-6
- 12th5-senses
Please find a seat
Aotearoa AI Hackathon Festival 2026
The room goes quiet now
06
Final Presentations
Five minutes each, and every pitch is recorded
New this year
AUT Ventures Support
For the winning team at every site, AUT or not
- 15 hours of Venture Analyst market research
- 5 hours of Venture Manager mentoring and connections
- 1 hour of Venture Principal strategic advice
Still to play for
Prizes & Awards
$250
Won in this roomVenue winning team
Announced here tomorrow evening
2nd
Won in this roomVenue runner-up
A prize for every team member
$1,000
National prizeNational TAIAO Prize
Summit audience vote
$1,000
National prizeNational Technical Brilliance
National judging panel
The national winner pitches at the Aotearoa AI Summit in September.
They see your idea once
Meet the Judges
The panel you are about to pitch to
Nicholas Fourie
Vice President, ICT
Fisher & Paykel Healthcare
Dr. Mahsa Mohaghegh (McCauley)
Head of Computer & Information Sciences
AUT
Abby Dowd
Senior Director, AI Strategy
AUT
Ming Cheuk
CTO & Co-founder
ElementX
Two days of work
The Teams Pitching Today
Every team that made it through to the pitches
Up next
1st
kpi-kaitiaki-positive-impact
Up next
2nd
caffeine
Up next
3rd
kailine
Up next
4th
arara
Up next
5th
route
Up next
6th
devacces
Up next
7th
kanorao
Up next
8th
fantastic6
Up next
9th
kaitiakidata
Up next
10th
kai-sense-ai
Up next
11th
super-6
Up next
12th
5-senses
Every pitch is in
Judges Deliberate
30:00
The panel scores in private while the room breathes
Awards at 7:00pm
Space — start / pause · → — continue
Clap for each group
Thank You
To everyone who gave their time, their venue and their expertise
Hosts, partners and sponsors
Nicholas Fourie · Dr. Mahsa Mohaghegh (McCauley) · Abby Dowd · Ming Cheuk · Prasanth Pavithran · Ji Ruan · Alan Dent · Harpreet Singh · Chan Meng · Yesha Kaniyawala · Mark Modricker · Jacob Mathew · Fazeena Jamaldeen · Annabel Valdez-Chiong · Chase Bloch · Colin Coutts · Keming Wang · Andreas Spanner · Mandi Buswell · Sara Ghafoor · Isha Sangrolkar
Same question as Friday
How Are You Feeling?
Scan, pick the answer that fits, and see where the rest of the room is
- Scan the code and answer in one tap
- It opens in your browser, nothing to install
How are you feeling?
app.sli.do
For the winning team
AUT Ventures Support
For the winning team at every site, AUT or not
- 15 hours of Venture Analyst market research
- 5 hours of Venture Manager mentoring and connections
- 1 hour of Venture Principal strategic advice
Two of these, tonight
Prizes & Awards
$250
Won in this roomVenue winning team
Announced here tomorrow evening
2nd
Won in this roomVenue runner-up
A prize for every team member
$1,000
National prizeNational TAIAO Prize
Summit audience vote
$1,000
National prizeNational Technical Brilliance
National judging panel
The national winner pitches at the Aotearoa AI Summit in September.
Decided in this room
Runner-up One
kaitiakidata
A prize for every member of the team
Decided in this room
Runner-up Two
kpi-kaitiaki-positive-impact
A prize for every member of the team
Decided in this room
Winner
kailine
The $250 venue prize, and through to the national panel
Twelve teams, two days
The Winners
Winner
Won in this roomkailine
$250, and through to the national panel
2nd
Won in this roomkaitiakidata
Runner-up one
3rd
Won in this roomkpi-kaitiaki-positive-impact
Runner-up two
The winning team's recorded pitch goes to the national panel, and the national winner pitches at the Aotearoa AI Summit in September.
Put this in your calendar
What's Coming Up
The next thing you can come to
Thursday 3 September 2026 · 5:00–7:30pm
No Pain, All Gain – Getting Fit for AI
Auckland
A Les Mills x She Sharp panel on diversity and AI for impact
Takes under a minute
Complete Our Feedback Form
Scan to share your feedback and go in the draw to win
Feedback form
shesharp.org.nz/f/aahf26
Run by people like you
Become a SheSharp Ambassador
Help shape the future of women in tech
- Scan to get started
Become an ambassador
shesharp.org.nz/join-our-team
Stand one last time
Karakia Whakamutunga
Kia tau te manaakitanga
Settle the care and protection upon each of us
Ki runga ki tena ki tena o tatau
May the health and understanding grow
Kia piki te ora
Return well to others and yourselves
Kia piki te maramatanga
Join together, gather together, bind as one
Kia hoki pai atu, kia hoki pai mai
Haumi e, Hui e, Taiki E
Travel safely, see you soon
Ngā mihi nui
Thank you for being here
Slide 1 of 91: Aotearoa AI Hackathon Festival 2026