This event is now complete

• Strengthening digital leadership and governance to guide a unified public service
• Building workforce capability to harness data, digital, and emerging technologies with confidence
• Fostering collaboration and interoperability across agencies to support seamless service delivery system-wide
• Future-proofing the public service by embedding agility, innovation, and ethical digital practices

MBIE is moving beyond legacy systems to build scalable, collaborative, and resilient infrastructure. Richard Griffiths shares lessons in modernisation and how leadership buy-in is driving transformation.

• Upscaling public service technology to deliver efficient services
• Looking at the potential for improved and enhanced digital infrastructure to foster collaboration
• Moving away from legacy and traditional systems
• Getting the buy-in from leadership to enable more efficient operations to improve digital infrastructure

Health New Zealand’s public health digital transformation from 2021 to 2025 showcases how a crisis-driven innovation blossomed into a sustained, nation-wide capability. Grounded in public health domains – immunisation, disease management, operations, and cancer screening – this journey leveraged Salesforce technology and deep partnerships (with implementation partners and cross-agency teams) to deliver unprecedented outcomes at national scale.

New Zealand stands at a pivotal moment in its digital transformation journey. With the introduction of the new AI framework and a NZ$70 million investment through the New Zealand AI Strategy (NZIAT), the nation is uniquely positioned to drive coordinated, ethical, and transparent adoption of artificial intelligence across the public sector. This session explores how strategic leadership, innovation, and cultural grounding can accelerate responsible AI implementation while strengthening public trust and unlocking a NZ$76 billion economic opportunity.

This session will help you apply new approaches on how you can lead AI adoption with confidence, strengthen trust, and deliver better public outcomes through a future-ready, values-driven public service.

• Align national AI initiatives with broader economic and innovation priorities
• Build and maintain public confidence through transparent, principles-based frameworks
• Showcase success stories from large-scale AI deployments and cross-agency collaboration
• Balance innovation with light-touch regulation and strong governance safeguards
• Advance workforce capability through upskilling and cultural inclusion
• Position New Zealand as a global leader in responsible, human-centered AI adoption

Inclusive services start with people and their lived experiences. This panel explores co-design, equity of access, and responsible use of data and AI to deliver trusted, universal services across Aotearoa.

• Designing services around people: exploring co-design, user research, and iteration to create experiences that reflect real-world needs
• Ensuring equity of access across channels and regions: tackling barriers faced by regional, rural, and vulnerable communities, including digital literacy and infrastructure
• Understanding the ecosystem of access: how interoperability, open data, and joined-up systems enable seamless end-to-end service delivery
• Using data and AI responsibly as enablers: applying analytics and emerging technologies in ways that support, not undermine, public trust
• Moving from accessibility to universal design: building services that are inclusive by default, and sustainable across agencies and communities

Andy Neale

Deputy Chief Executive – Access & Digital Services, Parliamentary Counsel Office

Atilio Ranzuglia

Head of Data and AI, Palmerston North City Council

Daniel Soughtton

Deputy Chief Executive, Central, Kāinga Ora – Homes and Communities

Modernisation is about more than technology—it’s about resilience, interoperability, and trust. Panellists discuss transforming legacy systems into AI-ready foundations for safe innovation and cross-agency collaboration.

• Refocusing modernisation: Exploring strategies for upgrading legacy systems and migrating to platforms that enable interoperability, resilience, and safe AI experimentation.
• Guardrails and assurance: Building the right policies, standards, and workforce skills to overcome inhibitors to transformation.
• Enabling collaboration: Strengthening resilience and interoperability across agencies to unlock system-wide value and efficiency.
• Future-ready government: Preparing infrastructure and governance models for an AI-enabled future, where automated agents and digital systems support both internal operations and external service delivery.

Christine Maii Sakuda

Chief Information Officer, Office of Enterprise Technology Services, State of Hawaii

Graeme Simpson

Chief Technology Officer, Stats NZ

John Baddiley

Chief Technology Officer/ Director Digital Solutions, Reserve Bank of New Zealand

Waylon Kenning

Director - Emerging Technology, Ministry of Social Development

Stu McKenzie

Principal Technologist, Data & AI, Lab3

A high-performing public sector must balance innovation with quality and efficiency. Prashant Bakshi explores strategies to streamline processes, harness technology, and strengthen collaboration for citizen outcomes.

• Exploring strategies to streamline government processes, harness technology, and empower the workforce to enhance productivity
• Reinforcing the importance of maintaining high standards in public service delivery while balancing innovation and good governance
• Defining key priorities for the future, strengthening inter-agency collaboration, and setting measurable goals for a high-performing public sector

Synthetic data and digital twins are reshaping how we prepare for and manage public health challenges. Jan Sheppard (PHF Science) and Fiona Callaghan (Public Health Agency - PHA) share their organisations journey together to develop innovative approaches to modelling, and how the modelling is being applied to create better outcomes for New Zealanders.

Specifically:

• Understanding PHF Science’s approach to modelling using a synthetic population and digital twin
• Providing insights into how PHF Science and the PHA partnered to focus the model on understanding how measles would spread to inform decision making for response.
• Delving into the key learnings from this type of modelling approach, and how it is being applied today.

Transport is at the heart of how people and goods move across Aotearoa, and digital systems are key to keeping it running safely and efficiently. In this session, Liz Maguire will share NZTA’s journey of modernising its digital environment—from overcoming legacy challenges to delivering new capabilities and setting the vision for a fully connected, agile, and future-ready transport system.

• Where we started: Challenges and limitations of our traditional digital environment
• The journey so far: Key milestones and lessons learned in modernising our digital capabilities
• What’s next: Our vision for a fully connected, agile, and future-ready digital shop

Every government organisation is in the middle of some major digital transformation - but not one feels confident about their process documentation.At the same time we're undertaking huge transformation projects. AI rollouts. ERP upgrades. CRM migrations. And what always slows them down? Processes & user guides.The real blocker isn’t tech - it’s that no one wants to document in the first place.This session will help you:

• Speed up your documentation and alleviate the training burden with auto-generated SOPs
• Identify where you're using process mapping in the wrong way
• Understand the roles of process and procedure management in your organisation
• Ensure your user training and change management hits the mark for AI rollouts, ERP upgrades and transformation projects

Trust in government depends on aligning systems, culture, and people. This panel explores how agencies modernise structures, build responsive workforces, and collaborate across government to deliver lasting public value.

• Turning internal reform into external impact: How are agencies rethinking structure, culture, and delivery to support citizen needs?
• Leadership in whole-of-organisation transformation: What lessons can be drawn from modernising systems, upskilling staff, and building responsive cultures?
• Collaborating across agencies to improve service flow: How can joined-up governance and shared objectives reduce fragmentation in service delivery?
• Balancing service reliability with change agility: How can agencies modernise while managing operational risks, continuity, and public trust?
• Embedding performance and accountability: What frameworks help agencies assess, refine, and report on service effectiveness?

Data is a critical asset for improving services and responsiveness. Leaders share how they are overcoming governance and privacy challenges, embedding data into decisions, and driving innovation through collaboration.

• What role does data play in improving service delivery and making government more responsive to citizen needs?
• What are the primary obstacles to implementing data-driven decision-making in government departments, and how can they be overcome?
• How can public sector leaders make data a core asset for decision-making processes?
• How can different departments collaborate to ensure seamless data utilisation while maintaining data privacy?
• Can you share examples of successful cross-agency data initiatives?

Stats NZ is using data and AI to strengthen insights while navigating new risks. Rachael Milicich explores current initiatives, challenges, and opportunities for collaboration to ensure trusted and transparent adoption.

• Providing insights into how Stats NZ is currently using data and AI within their functions
• Looking into the challenges that pose as a result of AI and how parameters are in play to overcome them
• Discussing collaboration opportunities with data and AI