Track lead – NZ Tech Rally 2027

Conference date: Friday, 7th May 2027

Venue: TĀKINA, Wellington

Time: 8 am to 7 pm

Same as our 2026 conference, we’re bringing together 23 speakers for our 2027 conference, with two types of talk formats available:

      Keynote talks: Up to 40 minutes (3 slots available)

      Track talks: 25 minutes (20 slots across 5 tracks):

             1. AI, Data & Ethics

      2. Testing & Quality

     3. Product, Design & UX

       4. Engineering & Platforms

           5. Community, Culture & Wellbeing

Track leads will be working closely with our main event crew:

2027 Track leads

Role overview

The track lead will lead their designated track, working with organisers and their track speakers to provide our attendees a great conference experience.

Main responsibilities

  1. Review all talk proposals for your track and help us select four talks for your track (1st to 20th Sep).

  2. Mentor you track speakers by supporting them with brainstorming ideas and talk practice as needed (Oct 2026 to 6th May 2027). 

  3. Facilitate (MC) your track on the conference day – 7th May 2026.

Conference timeline

1 July 2026 to 31 August 2026: Call for speakers open.

1 September 2026 to 30 September 2026: Talk selection rounds.

10 September 2026 to 15 October 2026: Speaker onboarding (contract signing & publishing talks on website).

15 October 2026: All applicants notified with an outcome.

1 November 2026 to 30th April 2027: Track leads check-ins, support & coach their speakers. (break between December-January)

7 May 2027: Conference day

Time commitment

(approx. 30-40 hours)

  • Talk selection rounds (1st to 20th Oct 2026): up to 5 hours 

  • Ongoing speaker mentoring/coaching (if needed): up to 10 hours

  • Preparation for MC role (we’ll prepare all slides and provide all info): up to 6 hours

  • Pre-conference crew group call: up to 2 hours

  • MC your track on conference day: 8 hours (8.30 am - 4.30 pm) 
    Track talks will be running from 11 am–2.30 pm, but we are hoping you can commit an entire day with us mostly to support and prep your speakers. 

  • Exclusive post-conference networking mixer: 2 hours (5–7pm) 

  • No in-person commitment till the conference day, 7th May 2027.

Compensation & perks

  • $500 NZD + GST (if applicable)

  • Conference ticket

  • Opportunity to grow your network and connect with hundreds of folks all over the country.

  • Work with NZ Tech Rally crew–experience our behind the scenes & see first-hand how much effort it takes to make our spaces inclusive & accessible.

Ways speakers have been supported in the past

Many are experienced speakers who may not need any support until the event day. But we routinely give speaking slots to speakers with no experience on a more professional stage. So some speakers may need a bit more handholding and reassurance.

You decide how you’d like to support your speakers based on their needs.

But if you’re looking for ideas, here are some of the things previous track leads have done!

  • Offer early feedback on the original talk submission, and brainstorm direction

  • Share your experience of what being on stage at NZ Tech Rally is like. Some speakers never heard of NZ Tech Rally until the talk submission!

  • Group call with all speakers in your track, to build a little support community!

  • Offer a dry-run/practice call closer to event day

Useful links