Supporting national and global training communities

Building basic computational skills early in a researcher’s career enables them to be active contributors to projects that can push our boundaries of discovery. It also opens doors for researchers to communicate and connect with international peers using a common language. 

REANNZ partners with research organisations to develop the programming and analytical skills of their staff, students, and research communities. We also scale out these efforts by building and supporting a network of digital skills trainers and providing environments where organisations can run their own training. Along the way, our team collaborates with researchers and training leaders to lend our expertise in research software engineering, machine learning, data science, and other computational approaches needed for modern research. 

We've adopted a forward-thinking approach to training and developing digital skills capability. By supporting national activities and collaborating with international training networks we're building sustainable, scalable learning pathways for the Aotearoa research community.  

Below is a spotlight on one of our international partners, The Carpentries. 

Leveraging a global training network 

The Carpentries is a global community teaching foundational coding and data science skills to researchers worldwide. 

New Zealand's involvement with The Carpentries has early roots and has evolved and expanded in many ways since then. New Zealand eScience Infrastructure (NeSI), now part of REANNZ, was The Carpentries' first member organisation in Aotearoa, joining in 2015.  

Tapping into The Carpentries’ networks has facilitated a vibrant community of practice that goes beyond the workshops themselves, fostering continuous support and mentorship among participants. It’s also promoted knowledge exchange and encouraged collaboration on projects, which has strengthened our local and national training communities. 

This long-standing relationship with The Carpentries was brought along with NeSI’s integration with REANNZ earlier this year. The Carpentries’ inclusive and collaborative values with REANNZ values and we're excited to continue this partnership to support local training programmes, expand the pool of certified Carpentries Instructors, and increase the capability of New Zealand research communities. 

Our connection also extends to representation within The Carpentries' global governance. Dr Nisha Ghatak, REANNZ Research Communities Advisor - Training, sits on The Carpentries Board of Directors. Her presence there has helped elevate Southern Pacific voices on an international level and ensures our collaboration with The Carpentries moves in a direction responsive to local researchers’ needs. 

Power of partnerships 

Our Training Team is also part of nationwide initiative in collaboration with the Universities of Otago and Auckland to improve Software Carpentry (SWC) skills among New Zealand researchers. As part of this effort, we host quarterly ‘Introduction to Command Line’ workshops with recently certified Carpentries instructor trainers co-instructing lessons as part of their initiation to the New Zealand training landscape. This collaboration has played a pivotal role in supporting research and skills teaching methodologies nationwide. 

We also host virtual Carpentries community calls in collaboration with the Australian Research Data Commons. These gatherings bolster collaboration between The Carpentries and training affiliates across the trans-Tasman region.

Our next call is scheduled for 09 October, 2025 and will focus on “Pre- and Post-Workshop Discussions" and how to get the most out of pre- and post-training activities. You can sign up to attend the call here.

Since 2020, New Zealand has hosted an annual NZ Carpentry Connect event, which plays a crucial role in breaking down inter-institutional communication barriers, setting a precedent for open and generous communication during the main conference and beyond. Mark your calendars for NZ Carpentry Connect 2026 – it will be held on 09 February 2026, with a hybrid programme delivered online & in-person in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. Watch the event page for more details coming soon.