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

Empowering Government IT Teams to Drive Digital Advancement and Citizen Engagement in 2025 and Beyond

The 2025 DigiGov Leaders Summit delves into how Government CIOs and IT leaders are strategically leveraging AI alongside the transformation of mission-critical IT and service delivery to achieve better citizen outcomes in today's rapidly evolving technological landscape. To succeed, CIOs must commit to a consistent pace of innovation, build resilience and adaptability, and develop vision of long-term success towards a finishing line which is almost certainly going to change.

Over two days, attendees will connect and exchange ideas, best-practices and cutting-edge solutions with thought leaders, leading case studies, their peers, and tier-one vendors. The goal is clear: to enable government IT leaders to deliver value-driven, efficient services for improved citizen outcomes.

2025 Sponsors

Explore the Summit

Key Speakers 

Paul James

Paul James

Secretary and Government Chief Digital Officer

Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs, 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

Tom Maasland

Tom Maasland

Partner

MinterEllisonRuddWatts

Dr Karaitiana Taiuru JP

Dr Karaitiana Taiuru JP

Director, & Māori technology ethicist Expert

Taiuru & Associates Ltd

Anna Campbell

Anna Campbell

Chief Support Services Officer

Whakarongorau Aotearoa

Murray Young

Murray Young

Deputy Chief Executive – Digital Delivery

Toitu Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand

Mike Mulvaney

Mike Mulvaney

Chief Technology Officer

Crown Law

Bryan Ng

Bryan Ng

Chief Data & Analytics Officer

New Zealand Trade & Enterprise

Why Attend

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Hear from Paul James, Government Chief Digital Officer (GCDO), and Secretary for Internal Affairs, Te Tari Taiwhenua, Department of Internal Affairs where Paul will outline the ambitious work programme he is leading to modernise digital government services.

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Understand how a data insights approach can aide government agencies in better policy making and resource allocation as Kate Kolich, Assistant Governor/General Manager Information, Data and Analytics, Reserve Bank of NZ presents ‘Findings from a Data Driven to Data-to-Insight Approach’.

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Learn about the legal impact of AI evolution from Tom Maasland, Partner, MinterEllisonRuddWatts as Tom presents a forward-looking discussion on emerging AI regulations, policy trends, and the impact on enterprise AI strategies.

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Join Murray Young, Deputy Chief Executive – Digital Delivery, Toitu Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand to learn how to transform public services by placing citizens and organisations at the centre of government services

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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:

  • Digital Transformation

  • Technology and Innovation

  • IT / IT Operations

  • Cyber Security

  • Information Systems and Management

  • Business Intelligence

  • Data Analytics

  • Data Security

  • Data Governance

  • Continuous Operational Improvement

  • Citizen Experience

  • Citizen Analytics

  • Service Delivery

  • Digital Channels

  • Agile Transformation

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

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

Building the Digital Future

9:00

Opening Keynote: The Digital Shift: How Storytelling and User-Driven Change Delivered Results

For the past four years, WorkSafe NZ have been on a digital transformation to decouple themselves from MBIE and establish new digital ways of working. From new data platforms through to a self-service portal - the amount of work that needed to get done was initially daunting. However, using Agile methodologies; an MVP approach to breaking down the work; Jobs to be Done theory; and strong storytelling to bring stakeholders along on the journey - WorkSafe have improved our effectiveness and efficiency across several key areas.


This presentation shares some of the key learnings and insights about how they were achieved.


Angus Deacon, Head of Digital Transformation, WorkSafe New Zealand

9:30

Panel: Sustaining Transformation in 2025: Aligning Digital Innovation with Public Sector Priorities

  • Thriving amidst fiscal constraints: Innovating in a post-budget cut environment

  • Maximising efficiency and managing costs with IT optimisation strategies such as automating the day-to-day tasks

  • Deploying low-cost, high-impact automation tools

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

Anna Campbell, Chief Support Services Officer, Whakarongorau Aotearoa

Mike Mulvaney, Chief Technology Officer, Crown Law

Mark Kirkpatrick, Senior Manager Outputs - Technology Services, Stats NZ

Kevin Glynn, GM Customer and Digital Experience, Auckland Transport

10:15

Morning Tea & Interactive Networking

Driving Value With AI

10:45

Presentation: The AI Legal Landscape: What Every CIO Needs to Know

A forward-looking discussion on emerging AI regulations, policy trends, and the impact on enterprise AI strategies.


Tom Maasland, Partner, MinterEllisonRuddWatts

11:15

From Potential to Production – Unlocking the Real-World Impact of GEN AI in Citizen Services

Overview: Artificial Intelligence is no longer a futuristic concept—it’s actively reshaping how we live, work, and interact with public services. From improving citizen experiences to driving smarter decisions and operational efficiencies, the potential of AI is clear. Yet despite this promise, only 1 in 10 AI pilots ever make it into production. Many initiatives stall at the proof-of-concept stage, unable to scale or deliver tangible outcomes. So what’s holding them back? This session explores a practical path forward for realising the value of Generative AI in the public sector.


Kieran Hagan, Data and AI Segment Leader, IBM A/NZ

11:45

Presentation: Māori AI & Data Sovereignty: Embedding Values into Technology

  • Understanding the importance of ethical and cultural alignment with Māori AI & Data

  • Implementing Te Tiriti values into AI and Data Governance

  • Strategies to prevent bias and discrimination using a unique Kiwi lens.


Dr Karaitiana Taiuru JP, Director, & Māori technology ethicist Expert, Taiuru & Associates Ltd

12:15

Networking Lunch

Bridging Technology & Government

1:15

Interactive Breakout Sessions

Breakout A: 

Making It Real: Practical Steps to Deploy GEN AI in Government


This interactive session is designed for public sector leaders and practitioners looking to move beyond the hype and translate Generative AI into real-world outcomes. Join IBM experts and government peers for an open discussion on the practicalities of implementing GEN AI in citizen services. Bring your questions, challenges, and experiences to the table as we explore what it takes to move from pilot projects to production at scale.


Kieran Hagan, Data and AI Segment Leader, IBM A/NZ


Breakout B: 

Hosted by Nintex


Breakout C: 

Cloud Services Optimisation

2:35

Afternoon Tea & Networking

Human Centric IT & Innovation

3:00

Presentation: Creating a Seamless Citizen-Centric Digital Experience

  • Transforming public services by placing citizens and businesses at the centre of government services

  • The importance of blending technology capability with human capability

  • Maximising the outcome from digitisation through proactive change management strategies

  • The success of co-creating a new system with customers and having a sector wide focus


Murray Young, Deputy Chief Executive – Digital Delivery, Toitu Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand

Driving Operational Efficiency With Data

3:30

Reflect & Collaborate: How Better Data Management Leads to Better Public Services

This interactive session invites attendees to collaborate on strategies for driving operational efficiency with data.

  • How your team can use data analytics to identify inefficiencies within government operations

  • Leveraging data analytics to make informed decisions and improve the accuracy of policies

  • Why embedding data into the core of operations can optimise government resources


Bryan Ng, Chief Data & Analytics Officer, New Zealand Trade & Enterprise

Empowering the Architechts of Change

4:00

Reflect & Collaborate: Designing the Digital Workforce for 2025 and Beyond

This interactive Think Tank session invites attendees to collaborate on strategies for equipping government IT teams with the skills, culture, and tools necessary to lead New Zealand’s digital transformation.

  • How does the public sector continue to attract the right talent following a time of uncertainty in New Zealand?

  • Defining the Digital Skillset: What capabilities will be critical for IT teams to thrive in 2025 and beyond?

  • Strategies to ease the recruitment process in an overcrowded market


Milica Zivanovic, Chief Information Officer, Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission

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

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

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 with a recent focus being around how we can do things differently - building a ‘future-ready’ digital public service and investing in the necessary critical foundations.


Paul James, Secretary and Government Chief Digital Officer, Te Tari Taiwhenua Department of Internal Affairs, New Zealand


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

9:40

Presentation hosted by Nintex

Putting Data in Action

10:00

Presentation: Findings from a Data Driven to Data-to-Insight Approach

  • Why your data strategy should align with organisation and citizen strategy

  • How a comprehensive framework can assist in turning raw data into actionable intelligence

  • How a data insights approach can aide government agencies in better policy making and resource allocation


Michelle Burke, Director of Knowledge and Information Management, Reserve Bank of NZ

10:30

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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