Agenda
Day One | Wednesday 20th May 2026
8.00
Registration and morning refreshments
8.20
Opening Karakia
8.40
Chairperson’s opening address
Yolanda Wilke, Domain Lead - CISO Office, Inland Revenue NZ
8.50
International virtual keynote: Lessons from the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre on building collective cyber defence
Luca Tagliaretti shares Europe’s coordinated approach to cybersecurity through the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC). He will discuss how the ECCC is aligning civil and defence innovation under Horizon Europe and Digital Europe, following its landmark partnership with the European Defence Agency. Highlighting Europe’s integrated model for research, capability development, and dual-use innovation, Luca will offer insights on balancing sovereignty, collaboration, and interoperability, and what New Zealand can learn as it advances whole-of-nation resilience across government, industry, and defence.
Luca Tagliaretti, Executive Director, European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (European Union)
9:30
Fireside chat: Understanding and countering increasingly intelligent threats
How can we move from cybersecurity to true information protection?
How is AI amplifying risk through phishing, misinformation, and human error?
Why are internal mistakes now our biggest security threat?
How can collaboration and shared intelligence outpace AI-driven attacks?
Moderator:
Yolanda Wilke, Domain Lead - CISO Office, Inland Revenue NZ
Panellists:
Andrew Hood, Senior Product Manager, Cyber Safety and Security, Network 4 Learning
Kelly Blackwell, National Security Capability Manager, Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora
10.10
Culture, Language & Alignment
Considering the major change themes within Cyber Security, this session will explore the New Zealand environment and human social and management pressures as indicators that might be used to track the performance of security teams and their success.
The session will examine what it takes to build a resilient workforce in an industry and nation defined by constant pressure and rapid change; how security leaders can communicate risk in ways that resonate with senior leadership at the executive or board level; and how to shift security functions into an embedded partnership within the organisations overall delivery capability, this conversation tackles the organisational and human factors that sit behind every effective team.
Jared Devereux, Product Manager Platforms, Information Command, New Zealand Defence Force
Glen Bearman, Regional Account Manager, TrendAI
10:30
Table Discussion
This table discussion will explore the practical changes organisations can make over the next 12 months to strengthen cyber resilience, improve collaboration, and better respond to evolving AI-driven threats.
10.50
Morning tea
11:25
Case study: Human Factor, Wellbeing & Skill Uplift
How WorkSafe NZ is bridging governance, people, and technology to create measurable resilience across the organisation
Empowering small teams to deliver large-scale uplift through collaboration and documentation
Developing resilient, well-supported teams ready to adapt to evolving technologies and threats
Taryn Murphy, Cyber Security Manager, WorkSafe NZ
Julie Watson, Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer, WorkSafe NZ
11:55
Presentation: Trusted digital identity for Aotearoa building the ecosystem for 2026
How New Zealand can develop a citizen business and machine-ready digital identity ecosystem
The core pillars needed to build trust including capability connectedness confidence and community
The role of digital identity as part of future digital public infrastructure for payments open data and service access
What government and industry must co-create by 2026 to ensure a secure interoperable and scalable identity framework
Andy Higgs, Executive Director, Digital Identity NZ
12:30
Networking Lunch
Summit Converges After Afternoon Lunch
Panel: Making incident response a whole-of-business capability
Who truly owns an incident response, and why must accountability extend beyond the IT or security team to include business leaders and executives?
How can agencies make incident response and maintaining continuity a whole-of-business capability rather than an IT responsibility?
How can government departments coordinate effectively across agencies during interconnected disruptions?
What can digital and security leaders learn from emergency management when responding to large-scale cyber incidents?
What does real preparedness look like in the public sector today?
Moderator:
Yolanda Wilke, Domain Lead - CISO Office Inland Revenue NZ
Panellists:
Vicki Scott, Deputy Chief Executive, People Services and Delivery, Parliamentary Counsel Office
Matthew Shaw, Head of Emergency Management and Business Continuity, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
Marika Hughes, Director of Strategic Crisis Management, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet New Zealand
Emma Bickerstaffe, Director, Cyber Defence Operations, National Cyber Security Centre
1.30
Workshop: Why accessible and citizen-centric design is key to digital transformation success:
How accessibility in digital design is critical to true transformation and channel shift (and how exclusion prevents it)
The real economic and social costs of inaccessible government services
Why many long-lasting digital innovations originated from accessibility design for people with disabilities
How to step into the shoes of the citizens who will use your digital services, understanding lived experiences to design with, not for, the community
Embedding accessibility and co-design principles from the start of digital programs
Practical strategies for inclusive transformation that drives trust, equity, and efficiency
Key takeaways for attendees:
A clear understanding of how inclusive design underpins digital transformation success
Practical steps to integrate accessibility and citizen input into existing workflows
Insight into what true citizen-centric digital innovation looks like, design that works for everyone, drives trust, and endures over time
Rebecca Elvy, Deputy Chief Executive, Outreach and Innovation, Whaikaha – Ministry of Disabled People
2.10
Afternoon Tea & Networking
2.50
International virtual keynote: Lessons from Europe in building citizen-centric, interoperable digital governments
How Denmark built national-scale interoperability through shared infrastructure and cross-agency collaboration
The role of leadership, trust, and cultural change in driving digital government maturity
Balancing innovation with regulation, how policy reform can enable experimentation rather than restrict it
Practical lessons from Denmark, Estonia, Uzbekistan and Australia for New Zealand’s digital leaders
Jonas Petersen, Chief Digital Officer, Department of the Premier and Cabinet of WA, Digital Strategic Manager, Digital Hub Denmark
3.20
Co-presentation: Building a connected digital economy by delivering trusted identity for citizens and businesses
Why government has developed a wallet-based identity model
How it builds privacy, consent, and user control into the design
What services it will enable for citizens, and what agencies can expect as it rolls out
How NZBN functions as a verified digital identity for business
Connecting Business Connect, eInvoicing, and Open Banking to enable true interoperability
Designing government services around real user journeys, not agency boundaries
James Little, Acting Director, Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Group, Department of Internal Affairs
Daryl Pettitt, Head of Digital Business Enablement, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
4.00
Chairperson’s closing address
4.30
Networking drinks and end of summit day one
4.40