Deep Reinforcement Learning

We are finally coming back to the capital! Join GitHub Engineers **Marco Celon** and **Vic Perdana** as they demonstrate how to harness your workflow and explore how developers boost productivity with AI, reduce friction, and accelerate innovation, all while keeping control and quality in your hands. **Agenda** 5:30 - Pizza and networking 6:00 - Talk 6:40 - AMA 7:00 - Finish Please make sure to register for the event as we need to provide contact details to Microsoft for security purposes. Registration will close 48 hours prior to the event to provide enough time to send out the access passes for in-person attendees, but you can [join online](https://aka.ms/aotearoanzgithub/stream) on the day. If you have a topic you'd like to present (or hear about) please reach out, or create an idea in our [GitHub Ideas discussion board](https://github.com/orgs/NZ-GitHub-UG/discussions/categories/ideas).

**Menno Finlay-Smits: Off-grid messaging with Meshtastic & Python** Python talks! Python people! Join our monthly meetup about all things Python. If all goes well there will also be pizza and drinks. * We meet **every fourth Tuesday** of a month at 5:45pm (talks start at 6:30pm) * **Space is limited** at the venue, so please only register (it's free) if you really intend to come. Also, as we will aim to provide some food and drinks, this will help us manage amounts and avoid waste. Thank you! * \*\*Join the [Python NZ Discord ](https://discord.python.nz/)\*\*to stay up to date, interact with others or help with upcoming events. * Python New Zealand's **[Code of Conduct](https://events.python.nz/redirect/?url=https%3A//python.nz/about/code-of-conduct/%3AfBv4yOxQ5i0fg9WnNd7RvQ4JrjpQ4CztIw_jdXQaRoY)** applies to all Python New Zealand events and participants agree to abide by it. * The meetup will also be accessible virtually. Point your web browser at [https://bbb.nzoss.nz/rooms/qik-mr2-6ds-fer/join](https://bbb.nzoss.nz/rooms/qik-mr2-6ds-fer/join) **Meshtastic provides long range encrypted messaging using cheap hardware and ad hoc radio networks, and Meshtastic devices can be controlled by Python! I'll be bringing along a couple of devices for some live demos.** **Finding the meetup:** Look for a glass door with a sign mentioning the meetup and head upstairs to the Trade Me office. Call the phone number on the sign if you arrive late and the door is locked. Don't hesitate to pass this information around to whomever you think may be interested to hear and discuss all things Python. Join our meetings online or in person: \* [Python New Zealand - Online Events](https://meetup.com/pythonnz-online) \* [Python New Zealand - Auckland](https://meetup.com/pythonnz-auckland) \* [Python New Zealand - Wellington](https://meetup.com/pythonnz-wellington) \* [Python New Zealand - Christchurch](https://meetup.com/pythonnz-christchurch)

We're back for 2026! Are you wondering what an 'AI Product Manager' actually does? Continuing our theme of real world AI product stories, come to hear from 5 amazing One NZ product people, some of whom have this title... One NZ has one of the largest and broadest AI transformation programmes in NZ spanning all areas of its business - from finance to customer service to software engineering to back office processing. With almost 50 new AI solutions launched in the 2025, they are learning at a rapid pace what it takes to build and run AI. The speakers will share the learnings, gotchas and wins. They're all using AI in their own work and teams so along with learning how to build and run AI they are also learning how to work with AI - it's been a HUGE change! **Natalie Burrows, AI Transformation Programme Director** Nat will share an overview of the AI Transformation Programme across One NZ - the mission, the mandate, and operating model. **Steph Randell, Senior AI Product Manager** Steph will share her learnings from developing & scaling our AI Concierge for 1 million+ mass market customers and what's different about managing AI products. **Kavita Nandha, AI Product Manager** Kavita will share her learnings from developing, scaling our suite of AI agents for all enterprise & business customers and co-creating agentic B2B experiences. **Ethan Li, AI Product Chapter Lead** Ethan will share his workbench for AI product management and experimenting with blending product & engineering crafts. **Neeharika Chowdhary, GM AI Product & Value** Neeharika will share her perspectives about the future of product management and learnings from scaling AI products & experiences across CX, AX, & EX. Huge thanks to One NZ for hosting and sponsoring this event! We're figuring out the livestreaming details - watch this space for updates on that. As always the livestream will kick off from just before 6pm. And please take a moment to fill out the ProductTank Auckland 2026 topic survey! We'd love to hear what topics you'd like to see at an event this year. Click here for the survey: [https://forms.gle/dNUKUf6bDaoTApJz5](https://forms.gle/dNUKUf6bDaoTApJz5) Note that as part of the signup process for this event you'll be asked to agree to a Mind the Product waiver. Mind the Product is the global parent organisation of ProductTank Meetups around the world and this waiver ensures that we can safely bring these events to you free of charge! If you have any questions please message one of the event organisers.

Join GitHub Engineers **Marco Celon** and **Vic Perdana** as they take a deep dive into GitHub Copilot’s evolution from autocomplete to an agentic AI partner. Learn about MCP, A2A, and orchestration patterns shaping the future of agent workflows. They will also be an opportunity to ask your curly GitHub and/or AI Agent questions. **Agenda** 5:30 - Pizza and networking 6:00 - Talk 6:40 - AMA 7:00 - Finish Please make sure to register for the event as we need to provide contact details to Microsoft for security purposes. Registration will close 48 hours prior to the event to provide enough time to send out the access passes for in-person attendees, but you can [join online](https://aka.ms/aotearoanzgithub/stream) on the day. If you have a topic you'd like to present (or hear about) please reach out, or create an idea in our [GitHub Ideas discussion board](https://github.com/orgs/NZ-GitHub-UG/discussions/categories/ideas).

Join the Columbus AI community for our quarterly gathering — a casual, community-focused evening where everyone has a chance to share, learn, and connect. These open mic–style events give anyone in the community up to **5 minutes** to present a project, share a tool, pose a question, or offer a perspective on the evolving AI space. No slides required — just a welcoming space to exchange ideas and keep the local AI conversation moving. If you’d like to take the stage, message **Chris (the organizer)** with a **title and short description** of what you’d like to share. Whether you’re deep in the field or just getting curious, come connect with others building and exploring AI in Columbus. Sponsored by [Transform Labs](https://www.transformlabs.com/services)

**Important time note:** Please plan on arriving between 5:30 and 6:00 as the elevators lock after 6 and you'll need to message us and we'll need to come get you. The building address is 4450 Bridge Park The entrance is 6620 Mooney St, Suite 400 You will need to scan your ID at the door to get a visitor badge. **Abstract** *Spec-Driven Development with GitHub Spec-Kit: From Intent to Implementation* Spec-driven development flips the traditional workflow on its head: instead of code being the source of truth, the specification becomes the backbone of design, collaboration, and delivery. In this session, we’ll explore how GitHub Spec-Kit enables teams to treat specifications as first-class artifacts—living documents that drive architecture, implementation, and verification. You’ll learn how Spec-Kit helps teams clearly express intent using structured, version-controlled specs that live alongside code. We’ll walk through a practical workflow that starts with defining system behavior and constraints, then progressively refines those specs into testable, automatable outcomes. Along the way, we’ll show how specs can reduce ambiguity, improve cross-functional collaboration, and make design decisions explicit before a single line of production code is written. This talk will cover: --What spec-driven development is (and what it isn’t) --How GitHub Spec-Kit fits into modern developer workflows --Using specs to align product, engineering, and AI-assisted development --Real-world examples of turning specs into implementations with confidence Whether you’re building greenfield systems, integrating AI into your stack, or trying to reduce costly rework, spec-driven development offers a scalable way to move faster without sacrificing clarity. Attendees will leave with concrete patterns and a clear mental model for adopting GitHub Spec-Kit in their own projects. **YouTube Link** TBA

If you enjoy knitting, crocheting, working with yarn, this is the group for you. Meet new friends, bring your projects, learn from others.
We normally meet a few times a month during the week from 6-8pm. We will occasionally meet on weekends during daytime hours.

We will show a variety of methods for building agents that run in Microsoft Foundry. This covers the different types of agents: Prompt, Multi, and Hosted, as well as the development lifecycle using evals and traces.

Meeting @ Improving's office in Downtown Columbus, near Cosi. Parking is paid, food & drink are free! This time we're hanging out after the long winter break. We are going to look at a group-member's project used to help learn the fundamentals of Go, and if time allows, we can take a look at how we like to build Go projects using AI.

If you are interested in selecting investment choices for your 401(k) or other workplace savings plan, minimizing your income tax liability, or identifying the most effective investments for your brokerage account, we are the group for you. We are a local chapter of Bogleheads**®**, whose investment strategy can be found here: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Bogleheads%C2%AE_investment_philosophy Or you can peruse the Boglehead forum here: https://www.bogleheads.org/index.php I look forward to seeing you there. Mark Vonder Haar