This event is now complete
Digital Leadership Day Aotearoa
Registration and Networking
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM (60 mins)
Opening from Public Sector Network
9:00 AM - 9:10 AM (10 mins)
Welcome from Event Chair: Overview of the Day | Intro to Segment 1: People Leadership in the Digital Age
9:10 AM - 9:20 AM (10 mins)
International Keynote: myHawaii – A Digital Identity Initiative | Insights from the Office of Enterprise Technology Services
9:20 AM - 9:40 AM (20 mins)
- Understanding the drive to create a SSO access for citizens for access to online government services in Hawaii
- Sharing insights into the challenges of legacy systems in play and the transformation journey to enable a centralised SSO for citizens
- Painting a picture of what the phases of adopting the SSO will look like
Data and AI as Enablers of Public Value, Not Ends in Themselves
9:40 AM - 10:00 AM (20 mins)
Governments today are grappling with fiscal constraints, rising service demands and declining public trust. Against this backdrop, many agencies feel pressure to “do AI”, yet transformative technology adoption without a clear purpose risks wasting resources and missing the real opportunity.
This keynote will reposition data and AI not as ends in themselves, but as powerful enablers of government’s broader objectives. Gary will highlight:
- Why outcomes matter first: anchoring data and AI initiatives in productivity, citizen trust and service improvement.
- Closing the implementation gap: moving from awareness of AI’s potential to practical, outcomes-driven transformation.
- Lessons from early adopters: how agencies that linked data and AI to strategic goals are realising measurable benefits.
- A practical roadmap: steps government leaders can take to align data and AI capabilities with pressing policy and service challenges.
Rather than following a technology-led agenda, this session offers a pragmatic guide for governments to ensure data and AI investments deliver lasting public value.
Panel: Leading Through Complexity: Building a Future-Ready Workforce
10:00 AM - 10:50 AM (50 mins)
- As leaders, how can we cultivate a leadership style that thrives amidst the complexities of tech team dynamics?
- What leadership initiatives effectively promote diversity and drive inclusion within tech teams?
- How should leaders utilise emotional intelligence to navigate the challenges unique to tech environments?
- What strategies can leaders implement to attract, develop, and retain top tech talent during rapid industry changes?
- In what ways can leaders champion ethical technology use within their teams and decision-making processes?
Morning Tea & Networking
10:50 AM - 11:20 AM (30 mins)
Welcome Back from Event Chair: Summary of Session 1 | Intro to Segment 2 | Process
11:20 AM - 11:30 AM (10 mins)
Why good employees make bad decisions
11:30 AM - 11:50 AM (20 mins)
- The hidden reasons behind risky behaviour at work.
- How digital environments shape - and sometimes distort - decision-making.
- What leaders can do to reduce risk without reducing trust.
- How to build teams that make confident, responsible choices.
Panel: Strategic Leadership: Transforming Processes for Digital Excellence
11:50 AM - 12:40 PM (50 mins)
- How can tech leaders align digital initiatives with governmental policies while leading through bureaucratic complexities?
- In the role of a leader, how do you instil agile thinking to reshape traditional processes within the public sector?
- As regulations evolve, what leadership strategies are key to balancing innovation with compliance?
- From a leader's perspective, what are the most effective ways to manage resources to maximise impact in tech projects?
- How should leaders approach vendor relationships to cultivate fruitful partnerships that drive technological advancement?
Lunch & Networking
12:40 PM - 1:40 PM (60 mins)
Roundtable 1: Practical Automation Strategies and Continuous Process Improvement for Enhanced Efficiency
1:40 PM - 2:40 PM (60 mins)
Successful Automation Strategies: Discuss practical approaches to automating routine functions within government operations for improved efficiency and accuracy.
- Continuous Process Improvement: Identify ways to enhance processes through continual automation efforts, leading to better service delivery and responsiveness to citizen needs.
- Transparent AI decision-making that adheres to policy and compliance requirements and adapts to changes in Government
Roundtable 2: Overcoming Legacy and Fragmentation through Experience-Driven Service Design to Deliver Faster, More Trusted Public Outcomes
1:40 PM - 2:40 PM (60 mins)
New Zealand’s public sector leaders continue to face entrenched barriers to service modernisation, from ageing platforms and siloed data to inconsistent digital experiences and trust gaps. Yet leading agencies are showing that value-led transformation is possible when modernisation focuses not just on technology, but on the human experience of service.
This roundtable brings together executives to explore how experience-led design, automation, and integrated platforms are helping shift agencies away from fragmented systems and toward cohesive, citizen-first delivery.
Key Outcomes and Discussion Points:
- Identifying and addressing organisational and system-level blockers (legacy infrastructure, capability silos, channel duplication).
- Practical steps to shift from fragmented initiatives to scalable, experience-led transformation.
- Lessons from successful digitisation of high-friction services (e.g. forms, permits, benefit access).
- How cross-agency teams are building internal service standards, improving findability, and reducing duplication.
- How experience design and data-driven content automation can unlock trust and usability in digital government services.
- What public trust looks like in digital channels, and how service quality contributes to legitimacy.
Roundtable 3: How to prepare your workforce for the digital shift
1:40 PM - 2:40 PM (60 mins)
- Discuss findings from EY and Oxford Saïd research that shows why putting people at the centre of digital transformation leads to better outcomes.
- As digital tools are adopting how might that change the workforce?
- Share best practices for managing employee experience during periods of rapid change.
- Discuss importance of building a culture of continuous training and upskilling so staff can adapt and thrive in an AI-enabled workplace.
Roundtable 4: Future-Proofing Public Services: Right-Sourcing Strategies for Resiliency, Cloud, and AI
1:40 PM - 2:40 PM (60 mins)
Public sector organisations are under pressure to deliver citizen services that are more resilient, cost-effective, and adaptive to rapid change. With automation, AI, and hybrid multi-cloud reshaping the operating landscape, sourcing is no longer just a procurement exercise- it is a strategic decision that defines capability, agility, and trust. This roundtable will explore how right-sourcing strategies can future-proof government services, ensuring they remain robust, innovative, and aligned with public expectations.
- Strategic alignment: Embedding sovereignty, compliance, and citizen trust into sourcing decisions
- Resilient delivery: Leveraging automation, AI, and hybrid multi-cloud to strengthen continuity and responsiveness
- Capability mix: Balancing in-house expertise with partner ecosystems to drive agility and innovation
- Future readiness: Designing sourcing strategies that can evolve with shifting demand, policy, and fiscal realities
Roundtable 5: Leading Digital Transformation: From Vision to Implementation
1:40 PM - 2:40 PM (60 mins)
- Align leadership vision with measurable digital transformation roadmaps that link strategy to execution.
- Explore leadership styles that drive cross-agency collaboration and enable adaptive, tech-ready cultures.
- Discuss overcoming investment paralysis, legacy system dependency, and siloed capability to achieve systemic maturity.
Roundtable 6: Future Ready Government - Building for Resilience: Designing the Adaptive Digital Backbone for Aotearoa’s Future
1:40 PM - 2:40 PM (60 mins)
To secure and steer Aotearoa government’s digital future, a digital foundation that empowers the workforce, while swiftly adapting to emerging technologies and evolving citizen needs is critical in order to future-proof against uncertainty, and build resilience for all New Zealanders.
In this discussion, we’ll explore:
- How to achieve resilient, modular and inherently secure architectures as enablers for continuous transformation and agility
- How to integrate ethical AI and automation to enhance public service, improve CX and safeguard equity and trust.
- Unpack lessons from organisations that have successfully built flexible, resilient digital foundations that enable them to rapidly innovate in the long term.
with the support of Dynatrace
Roundtable 7: Harnessing AI to create better customer experiences
1:40 PM - 2:40 PM (60 mins)
Discuss how AI can support organisation change and allow organisations build momentum in adoption.
Regulation and organisational pressures are changing; how can you keep up and build a resilient workforce.
This session will discuss…
- How agentic AI is creating better customer experience outcomes – with real-world implementations
- How AI can assist to navigate an increasingly complex world
- What role does AI play in your workplace
- How to build momentum with your AI adoption strategy, quick wins and steps you can take now.
Break
2:40 PM - 2:50 PM (10 mins)
Welcome from Event Chair: Summary of Session 2 | Intro to Session 3 | Technology
2:50 PM - 3:00 PM (10 mins)
Digital Leap: Learnings from the Ministry’s of Justice Modernisation Journey
3:00 PM - 3:20 PM (20 mins)
In this fireside chat, Michael Manttan will provide insights on how the Ministry of Justice has transformed itself to deliver responsive and efficient services, for both staff and citizens, and ultimately create a more equitable digital Aotearoa.
- Uncover the strategic blueprint to transform a complex ICT environment into a modern, agile organisation.
- Hear practical insights on how to navigate challenges and integrate old with new.
- Learn how to unlock unparalleled innovation for better citizen services and a sustainable digital future.
Visionary Leaders’ Panel: Shaping the Technological Landscape
3:20 PM - 4:10 PM (50 mins)
- As a tech leader in the public sector, how can you ensure new technologies are integrated effectively and with foresight?
- What leadership qualities are essential for staying ahead in cybersecurity amidst a fast-evolving threat landscape?
- How do leaders leverage data analytics to transform public service delivery while maintaining trust and privacy?
- What barriers to technology adoption do leaders face, and how can strategic leadership overcome these barriers?
- How can leaders inspire innovation and manage risk in a sector known for its cautious approach to new technologies?
Closing Remarks: Summary of Segment 3 and End of Conference
4:10 PM - 4:20 PM (10 mins)
