Main Conference (April 29, 2025)
Bridging Gaps, Building Futures: A kaupapa Māori approach to contributor growth in Aotearoa
Aotearoa’s digital ecosystem lacks clear pathways and educational capacity into open-source contribution and cloud-native careers, resulting in limited workforce readiness and economic growth, and significant barriers to sovereign digital infrastructure.
This talk briefly explores how indigenous knowledge systems and targeted community engagement can transform contributor pathways in Kubernetes and cloud technologies, creating equitable access to digital careers by adapting an established Māori internship program.
Previous roles in CNCF working groups (TAG Contributor Strategy, Mentoring, Higher Ed etc.) has highlighted critical gaps in contributor growth efforts globally. This has led to co-designing a pilot learning cohort model, integrating innovative industry engagement, mentorship, education, and practical projects alongside a dedicated stakeholder base.
Audiences will gain insight into practical frameworks for inclusive contributor growth, understanding how culturally-grounded approaches strengthen the open source ecosystem through diverse participation.
