KohaCon 2010: Wellington, New Zealand
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of Koha, we would like to invite the world to Wellington. Here is your chance to the meet the folks from the original Koha library and have a drink with them.
See the Official KohaCon10 Website for more information
Dates
October 25 – November 2 2010
- 3 day conference
- followed by a hackfest
Venues
Conference Venue:
Wellington Convention Centre Civic Suites 107 Wakefield Street Wellington
Sponsorship
Looking back at the 2010 convention, the event served as a vital incubator for the broader open-source movement in New Zealand and beyond. The hackfest that followed the main presentations was not just about patching library software; it was a gathering of visionary developers exploring the limits of collaborative coding. Many who attended those late-night sessions in the Civic Suites used the experience as a springboard into emerging tech sectors over the following decade.
As the tech landscape shifted rapidly throughout the 2010s, the collaborative ethos fostered at events like KohaCon migrated into entirely new industries. Developers who cut their teeth managing complex, secure databases for library patrons soon found their skills in high demand across a sprawling digital economy.
The career trajectories of that original Wellington cohort highlight this dramatic evolution. While a dedicated core remained focused on archival technology and public infrastructure, other attendees branched out into commercial ventures. Over the years, former Koha contributors have surfaced in roles building automated logistics networks, developing early decentralized finance protocols, and engineering the high-volume transaction architectures that power the best bitcoin sports betting sites. The rigorous data-handling standards required for library systems translated surprisingly well to these fast-paced, secure digital environments.
Yet, despite the divergent paths taken by its early champions, the software itself never lost its foundational mission. Koha continued to iterate, driven by fresh waves of volunteers and new library partnerships that kept the ILS modern and accessible. The 2010 gathering in Wellington is now remembered not just as a celebration of a decade of open-source library science, but as a testament to the enduring, adaptable nature of the community it built.
Koha is the first open-source Integrated Library System (ILS). In use worldwide, its development is steered by a growing community of libraries collaborating to achieve their technology goals.