Michelle Burke, Former Director of Knowledge and Information Management, Reserve Bank of New Zealand

As the architect of Estonia’s national data and AI agenda, Ott Velsberg has helped transform one of the world’s most digitally advanced governments. In this keynote, he will share lessons, learnings, and best practices from Estonia’s journey that New Zealand can adapt and scale within its own ecosystem, from policy frameworks and ethical AI governance to cross-agency collaboration. Ott will explore the evolution of Estonia’s national AI strategy, its groundbreaking Bürokratt virtual assistant network, and how governance, consent, and accountability are shaping the next generation of trusted, citizen-centric digital infrastructure.

Ott Velsberg, Government Chief Data Officer, Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs (Estonia)

• If our privacy law is enabling, why are multilateral data-sharing agreements still so rare?

• How do we build governance assurance for leaders who aren’t digital experts?

• Are we willing to take more risk to gain more public good?

• What does system-first accountability look like in practice?

• What does Te Tiriti partnership look like at the data governance table?

Moderator:

Michelle Burke, Former Director of Knowledge and Information Management, Reserve Bank of New Zealand

Panellists:

Colin Lynch, Government Statistician, Chief Executive Officer, Stats NZ

Kari Jones, Executive Director, Operational Excellence and Enablement, Financial Markets Authority – Te Mana Tatai Hokohoko

Ngapera Riley, Chief Executive Officer, Figure.NZ

Greta Gordon, Chief Data Officer, Reserve Bank of New Zealand

• Bringing Tikanga Māori, including Māori data sovereignty, to life through secure digital design

• Treating information as taonga with cultural and technical protection

• Enabling meaningful data access and control to the people connected to the data

• Co-designing systems with the communities you serve

• Delivering equitable access, transparency, and empowerment for Māori

Ruth Russell, Chief Information Officer, Te Tumu Paeroa - Office of the Māori Trustee

• How are Fire and Emergency NZ, NEMA, and Civil Defence groups creating a shared, real-time view of emergencies?

• How can agencies balance data sharing and collaboration with governance, privacy, and sovereignty?

• What role does analytics play in shifting from reactive response to proactive prevention?

• How can trusted data frameworks strengthen leadership, coordination, and public confidence during crises?

Hamish McEwen, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, Fire and Emergency NZ

Liam Scott, Chief Technical Adviser, National Emergency Management Agency

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

Breakout A: Modernising systems for interoperability

Breakout B: AI with proven ROI in government

Breakout C: Human-centred transformation

Breakout D: Cloud operating models

• 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

• 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 (Australia/Denmark)

• 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)