DevOpsDays Wellington 2027¶

Status: On hold — February event called no-go. Venue credit confirmed transferable to later in 2027. Waiting to align with KiwiPyCon 2027 dates.
Lead organiser: John Billings, john@opsdev.nz

Why¶

DevOpsDays has run in Aotearoa before. There is a record of events going back to 2016 at devopsdays.nz, and 2013 on the global DevOpsDays event page. The last was in Auckland in 2019, and before that Wellington in 2018 — an eight-year gap. The community needs a place to gather, and the role of DevOps has only widened: platform engineering, AI-assisted operations, security, and capability shaping the conversation. At NZTechRally (May 2026) the response was clear: people want this.

How¶

We are organising openly in the #devopsdays channel on DevOpsNZ Slack. Come join the discussion.

We are following the traditional DevOpsDays model, the same shape the Wellington and Auckland events ran and the same detailed organising guide the global DevOpsDays organisation publishes for every city. We are not inventing a format; we are bringing back a known one. See the 2018 Wellington and 2019 Auckland programmes for what that looks like.

Theme Ideas¶

We are exploring themes for the 2027 revival. Given it's a reboot, revival is the obvious thread. One question we're asking: Is DevOps Dead? A provocative title that gets at how the role has evolved and where it's heading. Someone jokingly suggested an AD&D theme, a nice parallel given tabletop roleplaying has seen its own revival in recent years (Stranger Things, anyone?). Nothing decided, just ideas being tossed around. Come add yours to the Slack channel.

The OpsDev.nz collective is also running a Software Freedom Day event at Victoria University this September. We will hold a mini planning session for DevOpsDays 2027 during the afternoon Bazaar. Come along and help shape the event in person.

Venue Credit¶

We have an $8,223.08 credit with Venues Wellington from the cancelled 2021 DevOpsDays NZ booking. The February 2027 Shed 6 pencil has been released. Hannah at Wellington Venues has confirmed the credit can be applied to an event later in 2027 — green light.

Date Alignment¶

The February window is a no-go. The new strategy is to align with KiwiPyCon 2027: wait for their dates to be announced, then schedule DevOpsDays Wellington either immediately before or after, sharing logistics and cross-promoting. KiwiPyCon has historically run at Shed 6 around August/September.

Other Wellington Events¶

We are tracking the local conference calendar to avoid clashes and spot opportunities to collaborate. Our primary aim is to align with KiwiPyCon 2027 (see Date Alignment above).

Know of another event we should be aware of? Let us know in #devopsdays on Slack.

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. The previous New Zealand DevOpsDays ran this shape and it worked well — see the 2018 Wellington and 2019 Auckland programmes for a feel of how a day flows.

A typical day runs roughly like this:

Morning: Scheduled Talks¶

• 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

Ignites¶

Short, fast-paced talks (5 minutes, slides auto-advancing) near the end of the day — a chance for lightning ideas, calls to action, and humour.

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 have two Shed 6 options under consideration, with the 1-day as our preferred plan. Both scenarios depend on KiwiPyCon 2027's dates and venue choice.

KiwiPyCon ran at Shed 6 in 2024 and 2025. In 2026 they are collaborating with PyConAU and running in Australia, leaving Wellington's usual slot open. For 2027, if they return to Shed 6 we will run DevOpsDays Wellington immediately before or after, sharing venue logistics. If KiwiPyCon does not use Shed 6 in 2027 or picks dates that do not work, we book a standalone window.

We have an $8,223.08 credit with Wellington Venues from the cancelled 2021 DevOpsDays NZ booking. This credit covers the venue cost for a 1-day event or the first day of a 2-day event — confirmed by Wellington Venues as transferable to later in 2027.

Preferred: 1-Day at Shed 6¶

A one-day conference on the Wellington waterfront, aligned with KiwiPyCon (either the day before or after). Catering is optional: Shed 6 is surrounded by cafés and restaurants, so attendees can self-cater 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 facilities included; AV team must be hired separately (Shed 6 requirement)
• Catering: Optional (surrounded by food options); budget below assumes provided catering

Cost-saving option: remove catering line and self-cater; reduces budget to ~$8,000.

Held open: 2-Day at Shed 6¶

The full DevOpsDays experience across two days, aligned with KiwiPyCon (either side or bracketing it). The $8,223.08 credit covers day one; we need to raise approximately $7,500 to cover the second day's venue fee.

Go / No-Go Decision¶

We default to the 1-day plan. We shift to 2-day only if the evidence points that way:

• 1-day (preferred): KiwiPyCon 2027 dates announced → lock an adjacent date at Shed 6 (venue credit confirmed), with sufficient sponsor interest for catering (or commit to self-catered)
• 2-day (ambition): requires strong sponsor response, venue availability for a second consecutive day, and strong 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: ~\(12,000 (Medium), ~\)31,760 (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 have John, Colin, and Andres confirmed as our three organisers from three organisations — the hard requirement is met. We're now looking for:

• Volunteers for day-of coordination
• Session facilitators for open space
• Sponsorship liaisons

Timeline¶

Event date is TBD — aligned with KiwiPyCon 2027. Previous milestones through June 2026 (proposal, co-organisers, global org contact, venue pencil) remain complete.

Fiscal Host¶

OpsDev.nz collective via StartMeUp.nz / OpenCollective

This event has its own project under the OpsDev.nz collective: opencollective.com/opsdevnz/projects/devopsdays-wellington-2027

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¶

1. Wellington Venues credit — Hannah confirmed the $8,223.08 credit can be applied to an event later in 2027. ✅
2. Wait for KiwiPyCon 2027 dates — align our event immediately before or after.
3. Keep co-organisers in the loop — John, Colin, and Andres confirmed; no action needed from them until dates firm up.
4. SFD 2026 still on for September — mini planning session for DevOpsDays in the afternoon Bazaar remains a good idea.

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@opsdev.nz or the DevOpsDay channel in the DevOpsNZ Slack.