Track lead - NZ Tech Rally 2027
Conference date: Friday, 7th May 2027
Venue: TÄ€KINA, 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:
Event lead - Camy Bhandari
Speaker & stage manager - Prae Songprasit
2027 Track leads
Keynotes - Stuart Whitehead
Engineering & Platforms - Rachel Collingridge
Testing & Quality - Toby Martin
AI, Data & Ethics - Altieris Peixoto
Product, Design & UX - Siena Brody-Heine
Community, Culture & Wellbeing - TBC
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
Review all talk proposals for your track and help us select four talks for your track (1st to 20th Sep).
Mentor you track speakers by supporting them with brainstorming ideas and talk practice as needed (Oct 2026 to 6th May 2027).
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.
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).
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.