AI hackathons spark innovation at AUT

AI hackathons spark innovation at AUT

More than 220 participants took part in two sold-out AI hackathons hosted across AUT's South and City campuses on 7-8 August as part of the Aotearoa AI Hackathon Festival.

Delivered in partnership with Tū Ātea and SheSharp, the events brought together students, industry professionals, community members and mentors to develop AI solutions for real-world challenges. Both hackathons reached capacity quickly and were among the fastest-filled events in the Aotearoa AI Hackathon Festival, led by AI Forum New Zealand.

At AUT South Campus, more than 100 people contributed across the two-day event, including wharekura and secondary school students, AUT students, alumni and whānau groups.

Collectively led by Dr Hazel Abraham, Dr Valance Smith, Dr Margaret Williams and Hans Tommy from AUT, in partnership with Tū Ātea, a Māori-led telecommunications and network services provider, and with support from TechStep, the hackathon saw nine teams develop AI prototypes focused on community and global issues.

As the only Māori-led event in this year's Aotearoa AI Hackathon Festival, it brought together learners, whānau and technology leaders to explore AI through Māori and Indigenous perspectives.

"The event created an inclusive environment where learners from different ages, backgrounds and cultures came together to explore the possibilities of AI and emerging technologies. The diversity in the room reflected the future of innovation in Aotearoa New Zealand," Abraham says.

Dr Hazel Abraham helped lead the AUT South Campus AI Hackathon in partnership with Stevie Winikerei, Stephanie Smith and Moresby Kainuku from Tū Ātea.

The winning team, Kai Loop, developed an AI-powered solution designed to reduce food waste by identifying and redistributing food before it becomes waste.

"We created a technology event where tikanga, te ao Māori, whanaungatanga and manaakitanga were not add-ons. They were part of the way the event felt and operated," says Joseph Morgan, founder of NanoTech IT and MC for the event.

Abraham says the support of Tū Ātea and TechStep helped create an environment where technology, culture and community could come together.

"The hackathon showed the depth of talent that exists across the broader Tamaki Makaurau and South Auckland and the value of creating opportunities that bring technology, culture and community together," she says.

At AUT's City Campus, 129 participants registered for a hackathon delivered in partnership with She Sharp, a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering women in STEM through mentorship, events, workshops and community support across New Zealand.

Associate Professor Mahsa McCauley (Mohaghegh) from AUT's School of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences, who led the City Campus event, says the hackathon demonstrated how quickly people can turn ideas into practical solutions.

"Initiatives like this are important because they move AI from conversation into action. In just two days, participants were able to take real problems, experiment with emerging technology and build working solutions," she says.

"As New Zealand's only university of technology, AUT has an important role to play in helping people engage with emerging technologies in practical ways. Events like this bring together students, industry and communities to build skills, test ideas and apply technology to challenges that have real-world impact," she says.

Associate Professor Mahsa McCauley (Mohaghegh) led the AUT City Campus AI Hackathon in partnership with She Sharp, with teams tackling challenges in sustainability, healthcare, accessibility and workforce development

The event focused on AI for Good, with teams tackling challenges linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Participants worked on challenges from organisations including AI Forum New Zealand, Fisher & Paykel Healthcare and Woolworths New Zealand, covering areas such as sustainability, health and wellbeing, accessibility and workforce development.

More than 30 mentors from industry, academia and the technology sector supported teams throughout the event.

"The most exciting part was seeing participants use AI to think about challenges that matter to people and communities, rather than technology in isolation," McCauley says.

The winning team at the City Campus event was Team Kailine, whose project Your Shopping Is One Call Away aims to make grocery shopping easier for older people through an AI-enabled solution. Runner-up teams included Kaitiakidata with Living Registry and KPI-Kaitiaki-Positive-Impact with EcoQuest.

McCauley says the partnership with She Sharp was central to the event's success.

"We're incredibly grateful to SheSharp for working so closely with the AUT team. The partnership brought together different strengths and communities and showed the value of collaboration in creating practical opportunities for people to learn, experiment and build with AI," she says.

Winning teams from both AUT hackathons will now progress to national judging, with the opportunity to showcase their projects at the Aotearoa AI Summit in September.

Quick links

• AI at AUT
• Aotearoa AI Hackathon Festival
• Tū Ātea
• She Sharp
• Partnerships at AUT

AI Hackathon Festival 2026

City Campus

South Campus