About Us
What is Young Kiwis in AI?
We're a community bringing together students, early-career developers, and founders under 35 working with AI across Aotearoa New Zealand. Our mission is to help young Kiwis connect, learn, and build together in the AI space.
Hamilton Meetup
The story
How Young Kiwis in AI started
A nationwide community of 352 young New Zealanders in AI, founded by Blake Harkness (Harkness AI). It was set up in January 2026 to fill an obvious gap. Most AI groups in New Zealand are pitched at governance, policy and big business, which left the people actually building with the tools, students, grads and early-career developers, with nowhere to compare notes.
Blake's own route in was not a traditional one. He went from a mechatronics engineering degree at Massey to a graduate role where he was handed a blank slate to figure out AI, then started publishing what he was learning and ended up with more inbound offers than he could take.
It is still run by Blake Harkness, through his consultancy Harkness AI.
Presenting YKIA at the M2 AI Summit
Curiosity, plus something you have actually built.
That pattern repeats across the community. It is why our events are built around members telling their story honestly, including the parts that did not work.
Talks in Palmerston North
What we do
What actually happens
In-person meetups run through the year in cities around the country, usually a couple of hours in the evening with talks, demos and open networking. We have also run pitch nights in Christchurch. Between events, the Discord is where members share what they are building, ask questions and hear about roles.
Member spotlights are the heart of it. Past speakers include an AI engineer at Trade Me, an AI integration engineer at Zuru, a graduate AI engineer at RUSH, and the co-founder of an AI consultancy working in infrastructure.
Auckland
Dunedin, at Flock
Palmerston North
Where we run events
We have run events in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton and Palmerston North. Meetups in Wellington, Tauranga, Napier-Hastings, New Plymouth and Nelson are in planning, and numbers decide where we go next.
In February 2027 the whole country comes together for the YKIA National Conference 2027, Friday 12 February 2027 at the Novotel Auckland Airport.
Who it is for
Under 35, in New Zealand, and curious about AI
Members come from computer science and engineering, from commerce and marketing, from design, and from no degree at all. You do not need to work in AI already, and you do not need a project on the go.
Being non-technical is not a barrier either. A lot of the most valuable AI work in New Zealand right now is spotting the repetitive thing a business does every week and making it faster. If you can think in systems and communicate clearly, you can contribute long before you can code.
What you get out of it
Connection
Join a community of young Kiwis who are actively building with AI. Share projects, get feedback, and find collaborators who share your vision.
Inspiration
Talks, tool demos and member spotlights at our meetups. Learn from others building real AI projects, not just theory.
Opportunity
Access NZ AI job postings, internships, and freelance gigs. Connect with local companies and founders looking for talent.
How to get involved
Joining takes about a minute and gets you into the Discord: event announcements, member channels, and the roles, internships and freelance work shared as they come up. It is free, and it stays free.
Building something? Get in touch about a member spotlight. Past 35 or further along? Host, mentor, sponsor or hire. Email blake@harknessai.nz.
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