Connecting the Aotearoa editing community

It’s a rewarding feeling to be able to bring a community—one which almost entirely exists in the digital sphere—together in person, many meeting face-to-face for the first time.

From 1–3 May, Wikimedians from all across the motu (plus a few brilliant colleagues from across the ditch) gathered in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington for WikiCon 2026, our annual conference focused on Wikipedia and related projects. Proudly organised by Wikimedia Aotearoa New Zealand (WANZ), the weekend was filled with collaboration, learning, and thinking about the future of open access knowledge.

Insights from Australia and the path forward for Aotearoa

A key focus of WikiCon 2026 was exploring how Wikimedia platforms can best uplift and support Indigenous knowledge responsibly. We heard from Belinda Spry and Elliott Bledsoe of Wikimedia Australia about their formal partnership with an Indigenous-owned law firm specializing in Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) and Indigenous Data Sovereignty.

This led directly into a vital, facilitated workshop led by Lisa Maule, Dianne Skelton, and Mawera Karetai, scoping out what engagement with Māori could look like for WANZ moving forward. It’s clear that building trust and creating a safe environment for Te Ao Māori on Wikimedia platforms is one of our most important responsibilities.

Wikimedia in the GLAM and science sectors

The variety of presentations from organisations embracing Wiki platforms goes to show how much the Wikiverse has expanded within Aotearoa in recent years. We were lucky to be joined by Leanne Elder from the newly merged New Zealand Bioeconomy Science Institute, providing a point of view from within an organisation of bringing a Wikimedian in Residence on board. A cohort of students who were recently involved in the Auckland Museum Wikimedia Summer Student programme spoke about their experience learning all about the Wiki world. Te Papa botanist Heidi Meudt shared recent national and international outreach efforts to improve biodiversity coverage and a transferable model of working with ‘subject experts’, and Tamsin Braisher reflected on her time so far as the University of Otago’s Wikimedian in Residence.

Skills and expertise from our community

A real highlight of the weekend was hearing directly from members of our editing community about the work they have been involved with. Axel Downard-Wilke gave attendees insight into the process of becoming a Wikipedia administrator. Shaun Thompson shared his process and tips for getting species articles up to Good Article status, and Mike Dickison spoke about the successes and struggles of improving coverage for small towns.

This was our biggest WikiCon to date, and the mix of complete beginners all the way through to highly experienced editors and administrators who joined us shows how our community has grown. We left Wellington with improved editing skills, a few more articles on our watchlists, and a renewed sense of purpose to make the internet a fairer, more accurate, and more inclusive place.