Tech Women’s ShadowTech26 brings tech workplace experience to 1,500 New Zealand girls

Over 1,500 secondary‑school girls (Years 9‑11) from more than 90 schools across New Zealand will spend a day with local tech employers in August 2024 as part of the Tech Women’s ShadowTech26 programme. The initiative, run by Tech Women – a division of industry body Tech New Zealand – will pair students with 60+ host organisations in nine locations, including Nelson, Dunedin, Timaru, Wellington, Christchurch, Palmerston North, Auckland, Waikato and Tauranga.

The programme aims to showcase the breadth of career pathways in the country’s fast‑growing, high‑pay tech sector and to address the under‑representation of women in digital skills. New data show women accounted for just 27 % of IT degree‑level enrolments in 2024, rising to 31 % of graduates. Executive Director Yvonne Gill said, “ShadowTech gives girls the chance to see technology up close – not as an abstract subject, but as a real career pathway filled with creativity, problem‑solving and opportunity.”

Participants will experience workplace tours, hands‑on tech activities and storytelling from industry professionals, with the goal of inspiring confidence that a tech career is attainable for everyone.