Strengthening Cybersecurity Resilience and Citizen Protection within the Public Sector in 2025 and Beyond
The 2025 CyberGov Leaders Summit unpacked how Government and public sector cybersecurity leaders, and their teams were facing a growing list of complex challenges and demanding responsibilities. With the acceleration of digital transformation and AI, it was no longer a question of ‘if’ but instead a question of ‘when’ data breaches and cyberattacks would occur. More than ever, security teams needed innovative and proactive strategies to ensure organisational security.
The summit delved into innovative approaches for safeguarding systems, fostering rapid incident response and building a culture of collaboration between security teams and the organisation to protect against digital vulnerabilities and ensure business continuity.
2026 Event themes
Automation meets adversarial AI:
Exploring how the public sector can defend against AI-driven phishing and deception while leveraging automation to boost efficiency, accuracy, and operational resilience
Identity-first security & adaptive access:
Building resilient access frameworks through strong digital identity and contextual authorisation to deliver secure access across government environments
Securing the supply chain:
Expanding resilience and risk management beyond IT to include all entities entrusted with government data or operational insight
Shared accountability in incident response: Empowering business functions to co-own response strategies, ensuring continuity across systems, people, and suppliers
The human factor, wellbeing, & skill uplift: Reframing culture, communication, and leadership to prevent burnout, bridge the language gap with executives, and build a resilient, business-aligned cybersecurity workforce
Governance, assurance & clarity:
Embed clear accountability, consistent standards, and continuous assurance to align cyber, risk, and compliance
Who attends?
Network and engage with Chiefs, Secretaries/Deputy Secretaries, Heads, Directors, General Managers across the public sector, with responsibilities including:
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Cybersecurity Strategy and Operations
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Information and IT Security
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Cloud Security and Infrastructure
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Identity and Access Management (IAM)
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Data Security, Protection and Privacy
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Network Security and Secure Architecture
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Security Intelligence and Threat Intelligence
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Zero Trust Frameworks and Strategies
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Application and Endpoint Security
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Security Operations Centre (SOC) Management
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Governance, Risk Management and Compliance (GRC)
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Incident Detection and Response
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Risk Assessment and Risk Management
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Forensic Analysis and Cyber Investigations
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Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Management
2025 Key Sessions
Obligations Under the Privacy Act – Not a ‘One Size Fits All’ Approach
Michael Webster, Commissioner, Office of the Privacy Commissioner,
New Zealand
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Prioritising People & Training to Empower your Employees as the First Line of Defence
Yolanda Wilke, Domain Lead CISO Office, Inland Revenue NZ
The 1st 72 hours of Incident Response
Catherine Cooper, Group Manager Security Incident Management, National Security Incident Response, Data & Digital, Te Whatu Ora
