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Sky Stadium
Te Whanganui-a-Tara Pōneke | Wellington
20-21 MAY 2025

Strengthening Cybersecurity Resilience and Citizen Protection within the Public Sector in 2025 and Beyond

The 2025 CyberGov Leaders Summit will unpack how Government and public sector cybersecurity leaders, and their teams are facing a growing list of complex challenges and demanding responsibilities. With the acceleration of digital transformation and AI, it is no longer a question of ‘if’ but instead a question of ‘when’ data breaches and cyberattacks will occur. More than ever, security teams need innovative and proactive strategies to ensure organisational security.

The summit will delve 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.

2025 Sponsors

Explore the Summit

Key Speakers 

Michael Webster

Michael Webster

Commissioner

Office of the Privacy Commissioner, New Zealand

Catherine Cooper

Catherine Cooper

Group Manager Security Incident Management, National Security Incident Response, Data & Digital

Te Whatu Ora

Derek Robson

Derek Robson

CISO

New Zealand Parliament

Peter Benson

Peter Benson

Governance Advisor

NZ Post

Paul Macpherson

Paul Macpherson

Director of Information Security (CISO)

Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Te Pūtea Matua

Taryn Murphy

Taryn Murphy

Cyber Security Manager

Worksafe NZ

Danielle Vandendungen

Danielle Vandendungen

Strategic Advisor - Digital Security

Ministry of Education

Grace Campbell-Macdonald

Grace Campbell-Macdonald

Director Regulatory Advisory

National Cyber Security Centre

Why Attend

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Hear from the National Cyber Security Centre, to stay up to date with the latest cybersecurity updates and the unique challenges faced by public sector and government organisations 

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Understand the obligations faced by organisations under the Privacy Act 2020 in a talk presented by Michael Webster, Commissioner, Office of the Privacy Commissioner, New Zealand and why it’s not a ‘one size fits all’ approach.

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Learn from Catherine Cooper, Group Manager Security Incident Management, National Security Incident Response, Data & Digital, Te Whatu Ora as Catherine shares insights into the ‘1st 72 hours of Incident Response’ and how insider threat is managed in such a large organisation.

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Unpack the impact that GenAI is having and could have on the public sector in future, as Peter Benson, Governance Advisor, NZ Post shares how GenAI is being leveraged for cyberattacks and strategies to mitigate risks associated with this.

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Who Should Attend

Network and engage with Chiefs, Secretaries/Deputy Secretaries, Heads, Directors, General Managers across the public sector, with responsibilities including:

  • Information and IT Security

  • Cloud Security and Infrastructure

  • Identity and Access Management (IAM)

  • Data Security, Protection and Privacy

  • Network Security and Secure Architecture

  • Security Intelligence and Threat Intelligence

  • Zero Trust Frameworks and Strategies

  • Application and Endpoint Security

  • Security Operations Centre (SOC) Management

  • Governance, Risk Management and Compliance (GRC)

  • Incident Detection and Response

  • Risk Assessment and Risk Management

  • Forensic Analysis and Cyber Investigations

  • Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Management

Agenda

Access either Summit at any point across the 2 days, all included in your ticket.

To help us allocate the ideal space for engaging discussions and connections, please indicate your preferred stream at the time of registration. You’ll still have the flexibility to explore other stream sessions throughout the day.

Day One | Tuesday 20th May 2025

8:10

Registration & Morning Refreshments

8:30

Opening Karakia

8:45

Chairperson’s Opening Address

Taryn Murphy, Cyber security manager, Worksafe NZ

Resilience & Strategy in Cybersecurity

9:00

Opening Keynote: Building a Cyber Resilient New Zealand

  • Aligning public sector security practices with the national cybersecurity strategy

  • The latest updates in cybersecurity

  • A look into the IPAC review and the unique challenges faced by public sector and government organisations


Grace Campbell-Macdonald, Director Regulatory Advisory, National Cyber Security Centre

9:30

Panel: Cyber Resilience as a Strategic Enabler: Aligning Security with Public Sector Priorities

  • The role of public sector leaders in driving a coordinated cybersecurity approach

  • Ensuring security decisions are aligned with business goals, risk appetite, and service delivery expectations

  • Building a resilient cyber culture across departments, agencies, and leadership teams

Moderator: Taryn Murphy, Cyber security manager, Worksafe NZ

Sonny Taite, National Chief Information Security Officer, Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand

Jay Nowitz, Senior Information Security Advisor, Oranga Tamariki – Ministry for Children

Jonathan Wilkins, Chief Security Officer / Chief Privacy Officer, Ministry for Primary Industries

10:15

Morning Tea & Networking

Threat Detection & Prevention

10:45

Presentation hosted by Proofpoint

Navigating Privacy Obligations

11:15

Presentation: Obligations Under the Privacy Act – Not a ‘One Size Fits All’ Approach

  • What are the obligations faced by organisations under the Privacy Act 2020.

  • Why your security strategy needs to be based on the data the organisation holds and the type of organisation you are.


Michael Webster, Commissioner, Office of the Privacy Commissioner, New Zealand

Navigating the Evolving Threat Landscape

11:45

Interactive Breakout Sessions

During this session, attendees will have the opportunity to attend 2 x 30-minute interactive breakout sessions of their choice.


Breakout A: 

Enhanced API Security 


Breakout B: 

Vulnerability Management & Penetration Testing


Breakout C:

SaaS 

12:15

Networking Lunch

AI Risk Strategies

1:15

Presentation: Preparing for the Future of GenAI in the Public Sector

  • How AI cyberattacks have revealed gaps in the talent availability within New Zealand

  • What impact has GenAI had or could have on citizens privacy going forward?

  • How GenAI is being leveraged for cyberattacks and strategies to mitigate risks associated with this


Peter Benson, Governance Advisor, NZ Post

Data Management, Governance & Security

1:45

Presentation: Promoting a Culture of Data Security by Defining Policies and Procedures

  • Why data governance should be central to your data security strategy

  • Overcoming trust & confidence issues that follow damaging breaches and attacks

  • Understanding how data breaches affect citizen trust and the organisations reputation in the long run


Danielle Vandendungen, Strategic Advisor - Digital Security Engagement, Ministry of Education

2:30

Afternoon Tea & Networking

Cybersecurity Awareness & Workforce Development

3:00

Reflect & Collaborate: Prioritising People & Training to Empower your Employees as the First Line of Defence

This interactive Think Tank session invites attendees to collaborate on strategies for equipping government cybersecurity teams with the skills, culture, and tools necessary to enable teams and keep New Zealand’s organisations and citizens secure.


  • Should organisations focus on hiring new talent or prioritise training and educating existing employees within security teams

  • How to demonstrate ROI on security investments to increase support for your team

  • How do security teams continue to retain talent whilst managing increasing stress and workloads

Yolanda Wilke, Domain Lead CISO Office, Inland Revenue NZ

4:30

Chairperson’s Closing Address

4:40

Networking Drinks & End of Summit Day One

Day Two | Wednesday 21st May 2025

8:20

Registration and Morning Refreshments

8:50

Chairperson’s Opening Address

Taryn Murphy, Cyber security manager, Worksafe NZ

Future-Ready Public Services

9:00

Opening Keynote: Building a Future-Ready Public Service through Delivering User-Centric, Innovative and Trusted Digital Government Services

In this keynote presentation, Paul will be outlining the ambitious work programme he is leading to modernise digital government services. Paul will talk about all-of-government service modernisation to accelerate the digitising of government services. He will also talk about his leadership role in key areas of Digitising Government, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Identity. Paul works with his colleagues across the public service to encourage safe uptake of emerging technologies


The audience will now split between the DigiGov and CyberGov leaders summit depending on their preference of sessions.

Next-Gen Threat Intelligence & Monitoring

9:40

Presentation: The 1st 72 hours of Incident Response

  • Building innovative practices into cyber response

  • Human error as the biggest threat

  • How is insider threat managed in such a large organisation

  • Translating security into a language that the organisation can understand


Catherine Cooper, Group Manager Security Incident Management, National Security Incident Response, Data & Digital,Te Whatu Ora

10:10

Panel: Future-Proofing: Anticipating the Next Wave of Cyber Threats in Public Services

  • How can security leaders proactively prepare for the next wave of cyber risks?

  • Understanding the challenges faced by public services; Resource limitations, data sensitivity and evolving regulations

  • How to recognize, mitigate, and adapt to emerging cybersecurity challenges

  • A look into real-life incidents impacting the public sector in New Zealand and the importance of resiliency

Moderator: Taryn Murphy, Cyber security manager, Worksafe NZ

Paul Macpherson, CISO, Reserve Bank of New Zealand – Te Pūtea Matua

Jared Licht, CISO, New Zealand Defence Force

10:40

Morning Tea & Networking

The upcoming sessions are shared plenary sessions across the DigiGov Leaders and CyberGov Leaders Summit.

Collaboration in Digital and Cyber

11:00

Presentation: How Non-Governmental Organisations are Growing and Maturing their Digital Transformation Strategy 

  • Why the government sector wants Non-Governmental Organisations to take on more services

  • Strategies to scale and mature the digital strategy in the 3rd sector

Tamati Shepherd –Wipiiti, Chief Executive Officer, Ngāti Hine Health Trust

11:30

Presentation: A Path to Cyber for Anyone.

  • Why cybersecurity should be a priority for the business under the increasing threat landscape

  • Implementing a coordinated and efficient response strategy between IT and security teams

  • Defining clear roles and responsibilities to reduce overlap and confusion

  • What skills are needed in cyber?


Derek Robson, CISO, New Zealand Parliament

12:00

Networking Lunch

Balancing Innovation, People & Risk

1:00

Unconference Sessions: Peer-Peer Roundtable Discussions

Delegates will split into peer-led groups to discuss key challenges within the digital and security world under Chatham House rules.


Topic A: 

How to encourage tech adoption across different generations and improve digital accessibility for diverse user groups


Aimee Riddell, Digital Lead, Ministry for Women


Topic B:

Strategies for securing funding and justifying digital investments


Christine Hudson, Programme Director - Digital Planning & Performance / Digital Service & Planning Manager, Ministry of Education


Topic C: How to build a security-first culture


Cassandra Mesa, Cyber Security Analyst, MBIE


Other possible areas of discussion:

  • How to encourage IT teams to move beyond operational support to strategic leadership in technology decisions

  • How to modernise data & analytics to help overcome market challenges

  • How to prepare for the worst scenario: Crisis simulation
    How to build public trust through robust privacy and security measures

The Road Ahead: Vision for 2030

2:00

Panel: The Road Ahead: Shaping a Secure Digital Future for New Zealand

  • New Zealand's commitment to becoming a digitally secure and resilient nation.

  • Strengthening public sector leadership, driving collaboration and accountability

  • How New Zealand can integrate cybersecurity into long-term strategies for resilience and adaptability


Moderator: Prashant Bakshi, Deputy Chief Executive Strategic and Corporate Services, New Zealand Qualifications Authority, Mana Tohu Mātauranga o Aotearoa

Catherine Cooper, Group Manager Security Incident Management, National Security Incident Response, Data & Digital, Te Whatu Ora

Carmel Ali, Information Technology Security Manager, CSS Treasury

Nitin Puri, Programme Manager/ Strategic Security Lead, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency

2:30

Chairperson’s Closing Address

2:40

Closing Karakia & End of Summit

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