Software Freedom Day 2026 — Wellington¶
Status: It's on, see you there!
Date: Saturday 19 September 2026, 10:00–16:00
Venue: Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka, Murphy Building, Room MY501
Contact: John Billings, john@opsdev.nz
Software Freedom Day is a worldwide celebration of Free and Open Source Software.
This year we are bringing it back to Wellington!
Register now: free entry, with lunch and treats provided, but spaces are limited to 50:
And remember that SFD coincides with International Talk Like a Pirate Day. If R is your favourite statistical programming language, this event is for you!
Venue¶
Thanks to the Victoria Engineering Club, we have a room at Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka:
- Building: Murphy (MY)
- Room: MY501
- Capacity: 50 people
- Time: 10:00–16:00
The Murphy Building is on the Kelburn campus, easily accessible by cable car or bus.
Programme¶
Cathedral in the morning, bazaar in the afternoon.
Morning — talks¶
- Opening Karakia — we are looking for someone to open the event with a Karakia. If you can help, get in touch.
- Michael Tiemann — a career in Open Source technology, and why you should too. Michael has been a pioneer in the open-source world and has a story worth hearing.
- Chelsea Finnie — the value of a FOSS-adjacent career. Chelsea is the Chairperson of Python New Zealand and a Senior Network DevOps Engineer at REANNZ Ltd, bringing a perspective on building a career around open and open-adjacent technologies in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Afternoon — bazaar¶
The afternoon becomes a space for the community to organise itself. Bring a topic, a project, a question, a demonstration, or an idea to share.
We will have facilitators on hand to lead some icebreaker activities, and space for workshops, breakout discussions, group-hosted tables, and demonstrations. Participants can form groups around topics that interest them, share knowledge, and explore ideas together. Groups may also have the opportunity to share a short summary of their discussions with everyone at the end of the day.
There will also be a GPG key signing session running in the afternoon. Bring photo ID and your key fingerprint. We'll follow the Debian Keysigning approach: submit your key ahead of time, verify identities on the day, and sign afterward at your own pace. If you want to participate, email john@opsdev.nz with your key fingerprint before the event.
The bazaar is intentionally open-ended. The goal is to create a space where Free and Open Source Software enthusiasts, students, developers, users, and curious newcomers can connect, collaborate, and learn from each other.
Food and drinks¶
Coffee, tea and juice will be provided in the morning, with sandwiches for lunch, catered by Canapé. Each attendee will also receive some special cookie treats in the shape of Tux, thanks to Cookie And Me!
Vegan and vegetarian options will be available. If you have any dietary requirements, email john@opsdev.nz and we'll make sure there's something for you.
Support the event¶
Donations for Software Freedom Day Wellington 2026 are managed through the OpsDev.nz OpenCollective project:
The space¶
Sponsors and affiliates¶
Lunch, coffee and tea, and treats are provided for all attendees. If you would like to help feed some hungry penguins, you can donate at the link above. We're aiming to raise around $300 to cover the catering.
The Digital Freedom Foundation organises the global event:
There is also an event happening in Christchurch:
Support for our friends in Nepal¶
There won't be an event like there was last year in Nepal, but the global organising committee for SFD shared this message:
The reality on the ground here is truly heartbreaking. Last year, our team had the privilege of bringing Software Freedom Day all the way up to Gosaikunda Lake at 4,380 meters. A place that holds a sacred, unforgettable space in our hearts. We trekked up there because we wanted the world to look at our fragile Himalayas, to see their quiet beauty, and to care about what climate change is doing to these mountains.
Today, almost every single village along that entire route has been swept away by the catastrophic flooding. Entire communities, families, and livelihoods were destroyed in a matter of hours. We are talking about 1000+ dead, 10000+ displaced and 100000+ effected.
When you mention our role as technologists in a changing world, this is the stark truth we are facing: climate change and global warming are no longer abstract threats for us. They are actively erasing our towns, our heritage, and our people.
Please help us share our story with SFD teams across the globe. Remind everyone that climate change is an urgent crisis hitting vulnerable, mountain communities first and hardest. We hope teams everywhere can take a moment during their events to speak on tech's responsibility toward environmental awareness and sustainability.
Direct Relief Support: For anyone in the global community who feels moved to help us rebuild, please share the official government relief link with them. Every bit of support matters right now, no matter how small: Prime Minister's Disaster Relief Fund
We might not be able to host a traditional event this September, but knowing we aren't facing this in isolation gives us the strength to keep going. Thank you for holding space for us, for your flexibility, and above all, for your kindness.
With gratitude and solidarity,
Aadarsha and the entire FOSS communities in Nepal
You can donate to the Prime Ministers Disaster Relief Fund here: