Auckland readies for ambitious 2026 NZ Tech Expo

The tech sector is gearing up for a gathering of hundreds of technology leaders, founders, investors and students at a first-of-its-kind expo along the lines of the primary sector's annual Fieldays.

The event is scheduled for 18 September at Shed 10 in downtown Auckland, with more than 80 exhibitors and 3000 participants expected to attend.

Tech Expo Advisory Board strategist Andrew Mitchell said the entire tech sector would be there, including the fast-growing fintech, SaaS (software as a service), EdTech and AI businesses.

He said the expo was not meant to be like a conference.

"At a conference, you meet the people that you already know, you catch up on the gossip and you learn something new from the speakers," Mitchell said. "Here, we have the entire marketplace - you go there to meet people that you don't know.

"There's lots of analogies from overseas of this working incredibly well, but I keep getting drawn back to what makes Fieldays so special.

"It's a place where you come to do business on your terms, in your way, and that's the space we're trying to create, that's the feeling we're trying to create with the expo."

Education NZ chief executive and expo ambassador David Downs said business magic happened when people came together.

"New Zealand business needs to grow and become more productive, and technology is a massive lever for that, but we need to use it cleverly, smartly and at speed," he said. "If people don't get behind things like this, we never make that next step.

"Getting people together in one space is important. We've spent years behind screens, especially during Covid, and I think we're still rebuilding some of that collaborative muscle."

The event has backing from Auckland Council, NZ Trade & Enterprise (NZTE), the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), Amazon Web Services, Creative HQ, and NZ Growth Capital Partners (NZGCP) and others.

Visit here for more information on NZ Tech Expo 2026.