Oliver Erlewein

Oliver combines long-standing performance-testing practice with organising KWST, where New Zealand testers share and examine experience from real projects. Work across organisations including Customs NZ, Chorus NZ and the New Zealand Racing Board brings a broad practical background to that contribution. Together, specialist testing and peer learning help teams ask better questions about software behaviour and testing decisions.

Oliver Erlewein is a contract performance tester at Breakpoint and organiser of KWST, based in Paraparaumu, New Zealand. A career spanning test consultancy, management and specialist engineering includes roles at Software Quality Systems, Unisys NZ and Datacom, followed by performance-focused work at organisations including Customs NZ, Chorus NZ and the New Zealand Racing Board.

Oliver also organises KWST, the Kiwi Workshop on Software Testing, New Zealand’s annual peer conference where practitioners present and defend accounts of real testing work. This community leadership sits alongside technical practice in automation and application performance monitoring to help teams understand software behaviour under load.

In commentary published on the Satisfice blog, Oliver highlighted the value of workplaces that trust specialist judgement and grant experts responsibility for delivery. That emphasis on professional responsibility connects practical testing with the wider conditions that enable rigorous work: room to question decisions, raise concerns and choose appropriate methods.