CITRENZ was formed as an organisation in 2010, as a result of an expansion of the National Advisory Committee on Computing Qualifications (NACCQ), which dates back to 1988.

CITRENZ has supported academic staff in several different ways, such as workshops, panels, research seminars, assessment of prior learning, moderation, the publishing of a separate academic journal, and by organising an annual conference. The philosophy of COITRENZ is the encouragement and support of new, emerging, and established researchers, while encouraging excellence and academic discourse.

CITRENZ brings together academic staff from polytechnics and institutes of technology from across New Zealand to share ideas, investigate new technologies, look to the future of IT, and ensure they are delivering the very best quality education for students.