Kiwiana & Code, Katrina Clokie at NZ Tech Rally 2023

Katrina Clokie opened NZ Tech Rally 2023 with a talk about how aspects New Zealand’s general culture interact with aspects of tech culture, especially the things that we import from big tech companies and US business culture. It was an insightful talk, and, more importantly funny! Katrina doesn’t skewer kiwis, she celebrates our points of difference. It was a great way to start the conference.

Here’s Katrina’s blurb:

Many New Zealand organisations base their software engineering aspirations on materials shared by international thought leaders. The practices and advice that come from overseas do not always translate successfully in our teams.

This keynote is a reflection on the universal foundations of good engineering culture: people, leadership, organisational design, problem scope, technology constraints, and measurement. In each pillar we will explore what is unique to New Zealand and what differentiates good engineering culture for Kiwis.