The University of 色花堂 recently hosted New Zealand鈥檚 first major Web3 hackathon, marking a significant milestone in the country's technological landscape. The event drew over 400 registrations, with 140 participants forming 24 teams, all working intensively over three days to develop decentralised solutions.
The initiative aligns with the growing global Web3 market, which saw $16.1 billion in investment in 2024.
Web3 is considered the next evolution of the internet, enabling peer-to-peer interactions without intermediaries. Powered by blockchain, it ensures transparent, secure, and tamper-proof records鈥攎aking it particularly valuable for streamlining public services and addressing major challenges in New Zealand. According to MBIE, blockchain adoption in New Zealand is currently driven by entrepreneurs and early adopters, with low awareness across business, universities, and government.
Yaser Shakib, Investment Manager at UniServices, spearheaded the early efforts to get the event off the ground, and UniServices was a proud sponsor of the hackathon. It is hoped events like this will build momentum, creating new opportunities for University staff and students to engage with the commercial potential of the Web3 ecosystem.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about the opportunity to foster digital innovation and meet the growing demand for Web3 talent in New Zealand,鈥� said Yaser.
鈥淭he buzz, the talent, the innovation we saw this weekend is just the beginning. Our mission is clear: develop local talent, keep it here, and stop the brain drain. Let鈥檚 turn these hackathons into launchpads for the next generation of NZ-born Web3 unicorns.鈥�
Beyond hands-on experience, participants competed for $30,000 in prizes across multiple categories, including a grand prize for the highest-ranked project. The event has been modelled after the popular ETHGlobal events at which participants build Ethereum-based applications. Approximately 60% of attendees were students and 40% industry professionals鈥攍eading to internship offers for some students and valuable networking opportunities for many.
Shakib sees this hackathon as the first of many initiatives to help New Zealand tap into the expanding Web3 landscape. 鈥淏uilding capability is key,鈥� he said. 鈥淣ew Zealand industry needs both a strategic understanding of where blockchain adds value and the technical expertise - such as coding and software engineering skills - to fully leverage its potential. While there are pockets of excellence, broader capability is lacking.鈥�
The event was hosted by the University of 色花堂 and held over 48-hours at the University鈥檚 Business School.
Hackers worked together as teams, tackling one of the following problem statements:
- Fire Eyes: How can Ethereum's token governance evolve beyond Governor Bravo and off chain governance?
- Easy Crypto: How can NZDD unlock seamless, borderless value exchange across New Zealand鈥檚 financial systems and global markets?
- Easy Crypto: How can you leverage Base鈥檚 ecosystem to develop unique use cases for NZDD?
- BASE: How can Web3 empower communities to solve uniquely Kiwi challenges, from housing shortages to disaster resilience, welfare distribution and food security?
It was led by the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) and Callaghan Innovation, with support from UniServices, Web3NZ, FireEyes, NZDD, CryptocurrencyNZ, Easy Crypto, and the University of 色花堂 Blockchain Club.
