Techweek23 and Youth Week kicking off in Whanganui

Published on 15 May 2023

Techweek23, Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest tech and innovation festival, will take place from 15-20 May 2023, coinciding with Youth Week, which will run from 15-21 May 2023. Whanganui will play its part in offering the community a range of tech and youth-focussed activities.

Whanganui District Council's connected community advisor, Jo Buckingham, says, “Youth Week this year is a real collective celebration of the activities available in Whanganui for our rangatahi. These include diverse sports-related offerings like yoga and parkour, and plenty of leadership and upskilling opportunities. A highlight is definitely Raise Up Whanganui’s screen-printing workshop on the Saturday, complete with free transport to Palmerston North to check out their youth space.”

The Youth Week timetable includes over 17 events across the week for ages ranging from 10 to 24 years old.

“The schedule of events for Techweek23 represents a collaborative and community-led approach alongside a passion to demonstrate that the technology sector is alive and growing in Whanganui,” says Jo Buckingham.

This year, local business collaboration venue The Backhouse will host the week of free events aimed at inspiring and encouraging people to get involved in technology.

“Techweek23 also embraces the collective approach of our community, with a highlight on the Thursday evening of the Whanganui Tech network meetup, a budding local group of tech professionals driving a vision of a ‘by Whanganui, for Whanganui’ collective approach to empowering the local technology industry.

“For those who are looking to improve their own digital skills or access, the Whanganui District Library is hosting events on how to use digital services and being scam savvy. Whanganui & Partners will also host several lunch and learn sessions for people to grab a bite and download the latest on topics like AI, data and tech in the creative sector.  

“The hugely popular open day at the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy is also back so we encourage any wannabe pilots to try out their international immersive flight simulator.

“We really want people to see that there are tech opportunities here in Whanganui and connect with support on how to get involved. This has been recognised again, with Whanganui being named a Smart21 city for 2023.”

This is the eighth time Whanganui has been named as a Smart21 city by the Intelligent Community Forum, a US-based think tank that recognises the ongoing commitment to fostering innovation and developing a knowledge-based economy.

“Techweek23 is another way that Whanganui continues to provide pathways to support the next homegrown tech heroes,” says Jo Buckingham.  

Head to The Backhouse events page for more information on the events and to RSVP. 

For more information on Youth Week visit the Youth Council's Facebook page. 

Learn more about Smart21 here.