Kiwihacks

New Zealand's high school hackathon club.

We run free hackathons for high school students across New Zealand, and a Discord where KiwiHackers hang out in between them. Everything is organised by high schoolers.

Join the DiscordRead about Nova →

Free to join. Open to any high school student in New Zealand, 13 to 18.

KiwiHacks Nova

Three free 24-hour hackathons for high school students, in three cities.

3
cities
300+
high schoolers
$0
to take part

KiwiHacks Nova is a constellation of three hackathons across New Zealand. Three cities, three weekends, three free 24-hour hackathons for high schoolers. A nova is a star that suddenly bursts bright, and that's the idea: light up Wellington, Christchurch, and Auckland with students building real things.

You team up, you get 24 hours, and you finish something. Mentors will be around for the entire event, and beginner-friendly workshops mean you don't need any prior experience to get started. Food, drinks, and swag are all included, and everything is completely free.

Go to the Nova site →

About KiwiHacks

KiwiHacks is New Zealand's first high school hackathon club, running hackathons for high school students aged 13 to 18. Our events are a chance to meet new people, learn some new skills, and build something you're actually proud of, whether that's an app, a game, a website, a robot, or a chair that runs away from you.

It's run by high schoolers, for high schoolers. Every site (yes, even this one), every piece of art, and every event was made by Kiwi high schoolers, because a club for high schoolers should be run by them.

No matter your skill level, you're welcome. Just sign up, show up, and give it a go.

Students working together at a KiwiHacks event
A hardware project taking shape on a workbench
High schoolers deep in a project at KiwiHacks
Students showing off what they built
Soldering and tinkering at a KiwiHacks event
The KiwiHacks crew mid-hackathon

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Built at our hackathons

Every one of these was made in a weekend by New Zealand high schoolers, most of whom hadn't met their team that morning.

  • World's Worst Keyboard screenshot

    World's Worst Keyboard

    Lee Lin (16yo), Logan Bentley (16yo) · KiwiHacks 2026

    Lee and Logan devised this 'cursed' keyboard to help boost unproductivity in ICT classrooms across the country... Twist the knob to scroll across the alphabet and then click the button (which may occasionally electrocute you) to type a letter. Record of 5 words-per-minute!

    Try it outSource
  • KiwiHackers screenshot

    KiwiHackers

    Alex Liang (17yo) · KiwiHacks 2026

    World-class teen engineer Alex Liang - Distinguished Winner in Apple's renowned Swift Student Challenge 2026 - took inspiration from his surroundings to create a KiwiHacks-style take on cooking simulation games like 'Overcooked!'. It's very cute! Built in Unreal Engine.

    Source
  • SaffronWebKit (SFWK) screenshot

    SaffronWebKit (SFWK)

    Arslaan Pathan (13yo) · KiwiHacks 2026

    The most technically impressive project from our May hackathon: check out the demo video of the awesome Arslaan, only 13 years old, talking through his custom UI framework. It can show browsers within apps on Linux. Built for Linux using C and SDL3.

    Try it outSource
See all the projects →

Being a KiwiHacker

KiwiHacks isn't only the events. Here's what you get for the rest of the year.

  • The Discord

    This is where KiwiHackers are in between events. Ask for help when you're stuck, show people what you're making, find a team, and hear about new events first.

    Join the Discord →

  • Free stickers

    Ship something in the Discord and we'll mail you KiwiHacks stickers, anywhere in New Zealand. Post a project with a screenshot and a link, fill in the short form the bot sends you, and they turn up in your letterbox.

  • Community lock-ins

    Once a month, come into the office from 10am to 4pm to build projects, meet up with your friends, and have fun together. Free pizza. Invites go out in the Discord.

Our partners

KiwiHacks is free for everyone who attends, and it stays that way because of the organisations below. Thank you.

Gold partners

GD1 Logo
Simplicity Logo

Silver partners

Auror Logo
FireEyes Logo

In-kind partners

.xyz domains Logo
Canva Logo

Partnering with KiwiHacks supports the next generation of New Zealand builders, and puts your brand in front of the students, whānau, and mentors who come to our events.


If you would like to partner with KiwiHacks, email niko@kiwihacks.org.


We reply fast, and we're grateful for every bit of support.

FAQ

What is KiwiHacks?

KiwiHacks is New Zealand's first high school hackathon club. We run free hackathons for high school students, and everything is organised by high schoolers.

Who can attend KiwiHacks events?

Any high school student in New Zealand, aged 13 to 18. Come on your own or bring a team of friends. No experience is needed.

How do I join KiwiHacks?

Join the Discord. That's where the club lives day to day. It's free, there's no form to fill in, and new events are announced there first.

I'm not a good coder. Can I come?

Yes. Total beginners are welcome and a lot of KiwiHackers write their first line of code at an event. We run workshops and have mentors on hand all weekend. Designers, artists, and storytellers fit right in too.

What should I bring to a hackathon?

A laptop and charger, any devices you want to build with, a water bottle, and a sleeping bag if you want to rest. Our events run for 24 hours, so pack like a sleepover. We cover the food, Wi-Fi, and the space.

When's the next event?

Everything we're running right now is further up this page. New events are announced in the Discord first.

All of this, for free?

Yes, completely free to attend. Food, mentors, workshops, and swag are all covered by our sponsors. Cost is never a barrier at KiwiHacks.

How about safety?

Our events are supervised by the KiwiHacks team around the clock. There's a secure venue with check-in and check-out, first aid on site, a clear code of conduct, and guardian contact details collected at sign-up.

What if my parents are concerned?

We're happy to talk. We run parent information sessions before each event, the venue is supervised the whole time, and a signed waiver is required to take part. Our parents guide covers most of it, and they can email niko@kiwihacks.org with anything else.

What if I have more questions?

Email niko@kiwihacks.org or join the KiwiHackers Discord. We reply fast.

Come to the next one.

Sign up, show up, and give it a go.

See what's on →

Free to join. Open to any high school student in New Zealand, 13 to 18.