I'm Simon Betton, a principal software engineer in Auckland with over 19 years of experience across backend and frontend. I design architecture that stays simple as products and teams grow, focusing on technical strategy, clear system design, and the long-term decisions that keep code maintainable.

Such is a non-custodial Ðogecoin wallet for iOS and Android. Merchants can send invoices and receive payments. I started the project from the first commit. I designed the feature-based architecture. Routes are thin, features do not import each other, and a Protobuf schema generates the API client. I also built the design system and the secure storage, so a larger team can work in parallel. AI agents follow repository rules for authentication and architecture. Their code must meet the same standard as human code.

OnlyDoge is an open-source Ðogecoin block explorer and analytics platform. Users can search blocks, transactions, addresses, and live mempool activity. I built the full chain data path: Ðogecoin Core, a custom indexer, and APIs on ClickHouse. The backend runs on hardware at home, and Cloudflare Tunnel connects it to the public web. The TanStack frontend adds market data and an AI analyst with tools. The analyst cites only facts from the index. People and agents can examine Ðogecoin without a third-party blockchain API.

KiwiCV is a free CV conversion platform for migrants and overseas professionals applying for work in New Zealand. It turns the documents people already have into locally relevant CVs and cover letters, using career facts the customer has checked before the AI begins rewriting. A job ad can change what the rewrite emphasises, but it is never treated as evidence. Finished documents go out as editable files or a shareable web profile.

GetSetUp is a live and on-demand classroom for older adults. A Presentation API assembled every catalogue page, GraphQL delivered those pages as typed sections, and the Next.js learner app rendered them rather than deciding layout. Partner landings for health plans and aging programmes used the same composer, so editorial and access rules could change without a frontend release.

Plant & Food Research is a state-owned New Zealand research institute working on agriculture and food systems. As lead developer, I built its web platform on the JAMstack, with pre-rendered pages chosen for speed and a site that stays easy to maintain.

An online learning program and game for grades 7-9 on problem-solving, decision-making, critical thinking, self-concept, and coping skills. The goal was to give students practical tools for hard situations, including pressure around nicotine.

A web platform that gathers export resources and contacts in one place. It helps New Zealand businesses and Māori enterprises find partners and investors, and shows overseas investors the opportunities in New Zealand.

Re:scam used IBM Watson to classify forwarded scam emails by topic and sentiment, then retrieved an approved human-written reply rather than generating one. The bot kept scammers busy so they had less time for real victims.

A fan engagement campaign for the Lions Rugby Tour in New Zealand. A custom PHP platform coordinated 65 Raspberry Pis across Auckland International Airport for facial recognition and remote control over WebRTC.

A captive portal for nationwide in-store Wi-Fi. Guests get 30 minutes a day; signed-in members get unlimited access. It ran across the Vodafone Ruckus network.

In a partnership with Twitter, thousands of Unsullied Army accounts reacted to #CommandTheUnsullied. A custom dashboard and Twitter's Streaming API let the army craft replies, retweet, and follow users in real time.

A second-screen platform for broadcasters and brands: real-time audience interaction and sentiment during live TV. A two-person engineering team built it to take traffic spikes of hundreds of thousands of concurrent users when a show went live.

With Brightcove, I built New Zealand's first on-demand streaming apps for smartphones and tablets. Soon after launch, each app ranked #1 on its store chart.