DevOpsDays Wellington 2027¶

Status: Proposal revised, seeking co-organisers and community feedback
Venue Options: Victoria University Kelburn (small, 1-2 days), Shed 6 one-day (medium), Shed 6 two-day (large)
Proposed Window: February 2027
Lead organiser: John Billings, john@startmeup.nz

When¶

The last New Zealand DevOpsDays was in 2019, an 8-year gap. The community still needs a gathering space, especially with security now part of the DevOps conversation. Code Camp Wellington showed there is appetite, but it is not a real unconference.

At NZTechRally (May 2026) the response was clear: people want this. The role of DevOps is changing in the direction of capability management, platform engineering, AI-assisted operations. The need for practitioners to gather and figure it out together is still needed.

We are proposing to revive the event for 2027, following the global DevOpsDays framework with our own open-space-first approach.

Where¶

We are considering two primary venue options in Wellington:

• Victoria University, Kelburn Campus: confirmed available, free of charge (via Ian Welch, university board member). Great breakout spaces for open-space sessions. Limited nearby food — catering recommended.
• Shed 6, Wellington Waterfront: surfaced after Venues Wellington reached out about an $8,223.08 credit from a cancelled 2021 DevOpsDays NZ booking. Professional conference venue, central city, surrounded by food options.

Full availability, dates, and budget scenarios follow below.

Global Org Contact¶

The global organisers have responded to our proposal. No other groups have expressed interest in running DevOpsDays in Aotearoa; we are the recognised group for Aotearoa. Key points from their feedback:

• The core three organisers must be from three different organisations
• We can ask anyone to be a keynote speaker, local or international, not limited to the organising team

Venue Availability¶

February 2027. Victoria University and Shed 6 have different availability windows, which inform the scenario choice.

Victoria University (Small)¶

Available Thursday 11 and Friday 12 February (Waitangi week). Confirmed via Ian Welch.

Shed 6 (Medium / Large)¶

Shed 6 is not available on 12 February, but has two windows confirmed and two Fridays tentatively available:

For a 1-day event (Medium): any single day in either window. For a 2-day event (Large): Thu-Fri 18-19 Feb or Thu-Fri 25-26 Feb, subject to Friday confirmation.

Student Timing¶

Victoria University Trimester 1 orientation typically begins late February. The Option B window (22-26 Feb) could catch students returning for orientation: an opportunity to invite student participation as attendees, volunteers, and session facilitators. The earlier windows (11-12 Feb, 18-19 Feb) fall during summer break when fewer students are on campus.

Why These Windows¶

Why Not Other Options¶

• Earlier (week of 5 Feb): Waitangi Day weekend; people extend the break; attendance risk
• Later (March): Clashes with Q1 delivery pressure; Trimester 1 classes in full swing limits venue availability
• Four-day format: far too much for a first event; organising burden and burnout risk

Event Format¶

Our format adapts to the scenario: one day or two. Both follow the same principle: morning talks draw people in, afternoon open space delivers the real value.

Morning: Scheduled Talks¶

• 1-day: 2 x 30-minute morning talks
• 2-day: 4 x 30-minute talks per day on the main stage
• Mix of technical and cultural content
• Balance of local and out-of-town speakers
• Encourage new voices: DevOpsDays is a supportive environment for first-time speakers

Afternoon: Open Space (Self-Organised)¶

• Marketplace of Ideas: attendees write session topics, choose timeslots on the agenda wall
• Break-out Sessions: self-organised discussions in smaller rooms (10-40 people)
• Law of Mobility: if you are not learning or contributing, move to another session
• Closing Circle: brief reflections at end of each day

This is our differentiator: DevOpsDays Wellington will be primarily an open space event. The morning talks are the draw cards; the afternoon is where the real community value lives.

Venue & Budget Scenarios¶

We present three venue-driven options. The community and sponsor response determines which we run.

One idea under consideration: using both venues. A more workshop-driven, open-space style event at Victoria University, and a more traditional conference-style event at Shed 6. Logistics are unclear — two venues, two dates, two budgets — but worth exploring if interest supports it.

Small: 1-2 Days at Victoria University, Kelburn Campus¶

A low-cost, low-risk launch. One or two days at a confirmed free venue. Note: catering is effectively required here: limited food options near Kelburn campus. This window (11-12 Feb) falls during summer break, so fewer students on campus, but the venue is free and confirmed.

• Cost: $0 (confirmed via Ian Welch, university board member)
• Main room: Capacity for 250+ attendees
• Breakout rooms: Multiple smaller rooms (10-40 people) for open space sessions
• Accessibility: Public transit access, parking available
• Catering: External caterers permitted (recommended: limited nearby food)

Medium: 1 Day at Shed 6 (Venues Wellington)¶

A professional conference venue on the Wellington waterfront. An $8,223.08 credit from a cancelled 2021 DevOpsDays NZ booking covers the venue cost. Catering is optional here: Shed 6 is surrounded by cafés and restaurants on the waterfront, so attendees can self-cater if we prefer to keep costs down.

• Venue cost: $0 (covered by $8,223.08 credit)
• Location: Wellington waterfront, central city
• Capacity: 300+ theatre style, multiple breakout spaces
• Professional AV and facilities included
• Catering: Optional (surrounded by food options); budget below assumes provided catering

Cost-saving option: remove catering line and self-cater; reduces budget to ~$2,500.

Large: 2 Days at Shed 6 (Venues Wellington)¶

The full DevOpsDays experience across two days at Wellington's premier conference venue. The $8,223.08 credit covers day one; we need to raise approximately $7,500 to cover the second day's venue fee. Catering is optional per day (waterfront location), but provided catering is assumed for a two-day professional event.

This scenario aligns best with Option B (25-26 Feb), catching students returning for Trimester 1 orientation: an opportunity to invite Vic students as volunteers and attendees.

Go / No-Go Decision¶

The decision between scenarios will be made based on sponsor commitments and community registrations: - Small is always viable (minimal financial risk); 1-day or 2-day decided by registrations and sponsor interest - Medium requires confirming the credit can be applied and sufficient sponsor interest for catering (or commit to self-catered) - Large requires strong sponsor response, Friday confirmation from Venues Wellington, and early-bird registration numbers

Sponsorship Tiers (NZD)¶

DevOpsDays sponsorship prices are intentionally lower than commercial conferences. These are localised from the USD/EUR benchmarks.

Target:

80%+ of budget from sponsorship. This allows us to keep ticket prices nominal. The budget target shifts with the scenario: ~\(5,000 (Small 1-day), ~\)9,400 (Small 2-day), ~\(7,600 (Medium), ~\)27,800 (Large).

Additional sponsorship options: lanyard sponsor, captioning sponsor, evening event sponsor, lunch sponsor, coffee break sponsor.

Ticket Pricing¶

• Do not make the event free: 30-40% of free-ticket holders do not show up
• Aim for 10-20% of commercial conference prices in the region
• Early-bird discount to encourage early sign-ups
• Free/discounted tickets for under-represented communities, students, and speakers

Proposed pricing (NZD):

Organising Team¶

Hard requirement: Minimum 3 organisers from 3 different organisations.

Current Status¶

How To Help¶

We need two other people from two other organisations to step forward as co-organisers. If that's you: send an email to john@startmeup.nz. Or reach out via the OpsDev.nz collective or the DevOpsNZ Slack. We need:

• Co-organisers from different organisations (hard requirement)
• Volunteers for day-of coordination
• Session facilitators for open space
• Sponsorship liaisons
• Victoria University students: we especially want student volunteers and attendees. If the event lands in the 22-26 Feb window, it coincides with orientation week: a great time to get involved.

Timeline¶

Assuming event window of February 2027:

Fiscal Host¶

OpsDev.nz collective via StartMeUp.nz / OpenCollective

This needs to be confirmed with the DevOpsDays global core organisers before proceeding. Initial contact has been made and the response was positive. Our OpenCollective setup should satisfy the fiscal host requirement; final confirmation pending.

Next Steps¶

Immediate (June-July 2026)¶

1. Recruit co-organisers: need 2 more people from 2 different organisations (highest priority)
2. Contact DevOpsDays global core organisers: ✅ Done (responded positively, we are the recognised group for Aotearoa)
3. Confirm venue and dates

Short-term (July-December 2026)¶

1. Attend remaining conferences (AgentiBuildDay NZ, Code Camp, etc.)
2. Draft sponsor prospectus with three scenarios and both date windows
3. Lock in Victoria University booking details
4. Establish OpsDev.nz collective on OpenCollective
5. Go / no-go decision: lock in Small / Medium / Large scenario based on sponsor commitments
6. Contact Victoria University student groups for volunteer and participation interest

Resources¶

• DevOpsDays Organizing Guide
• DevOpsDays Sponsorship Guidelines
• DevOpsDays Open Space Format
• DevOpsDays Web Repo (for event PR)
• Pretalx: free CFP and talk management
• Vaultwarden: free credential management for organisers

Feedback¶

This is a draft proposal; we want your input. If you have thoughts on:

• Which scenario feels right for Wellington in 2027
• Dates and timing
• Format and structure
• Sponsorship approach
• Keynote topics
• Anything else

...please reach out to john@startmeup.nz or the DevOpsNZ Slack.