AUT Hackathons = 2 national finalists
Following nationwide AI Hackathon events, four winners have been selected to present at the finals during the 2025 Aotearoa AI Summit on 18 September – and two of these were created by teams at AUT events.
Addressing challenges of the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) was the theme for the 2025 AI Hackathon.
AUT welcomed crews of students, high schoolers and members of the public who had 48 hours to devise an innovative approach to a wicked problem.
More than 30 mentors from businesses, industry and AUT provided guidance, feedback, and support as the teams grappled with bringing their idea to life and presenting it to the judges.
Empathy – Māori education app
A prototype app solution for addressing education within the Māori community – called Empathy, was developed by Suede Sadler, Moeen, CJ, Hoodz and Tyrone at the South Campus event and was selected as a finalist.
Robin – addressing loneliness among over 65s
The other finalists from the City Campus event was Robin by Chloe Wright, Homayoon Zarshenas, Laura Shekouh, Mike Ronayne and Nima Hosseini. This concept is for an online chat companion for over 65’s.
Following the event, Kaiako from the Tipene school thanked the organisers for an event that bridged the gap in a field that is sometimes closed off to Māori and Pacific rangatahi.
“Thank you for allowing the boys to be part of your world. The aroha shown to our boys by all who were present was felt – they belonged. And in that space of belonging, they thrived,” said Natasha McCausland.
Māori tech leaders who participated had the following to say:
Lee Timutimu, Te Hapori Matihiko emphasised the importance of keeping whānau and people at the heart of AI development: “AI should build and foster stronger human connection and never replace it.”
Joseph Morgan, of NanoTech IT, highlighted the energy and creativity of the participants: “They weren’t just solving problems – they were building communities, imagining futures, and showing what South Auckland can bring to the tech world.”
Associate Professor and AI Forum Chairperson, Mahsa Mohaghegh congratulated all the participants.
“To everyone who participated: you came, you coded, you conquered. The solutions you developed in just 24 hours have the potential for real change!” said Mahsa in her Linked-in overview of the event.