Digital Leadership Day Aotearoa 2026
Registration and Networking
8:00 AM - 8:45 AM (45 mins)
Opening from the Public Sector Network
8:45 AM - 9:05 AM (20 mins)
Welcome from Chairperson
9:05 AM - 9:15 AM (10 mins)
How to Lead Government 3.0: Breaking Silos and Designing for Connected Outcomes
9:15 AM - 9:35 AM (20 mins)
Government 3.0 demands a fundamental shift in how public sector leaders think, operate, and collaborate across systems. That shift in thinking is required from government leaders, reframing digital leadership as an enterprise-wide responsibility, not a technology function. This session will equip you with practical perspectives on leading laterally, aligning policy with delivery, and shaping operating models that enable connected, outcomes-driven government.
- Advance leadership models that enable whole-of-government decision-making
- Transform siloed structures into connected systems that deliver shared outcomes
- Optimise the role of digital, data, and AI as enablers of policy execution
- Bolster accountability and trust while accelerating responsible innovation
Industry Insights
9:35 AM - 9:52 AM (17 mins)
The Future Workforce - Leading People, Not Just Technology
9:55 AM - 10:30 AM (35 mins)
- Leadership for digital maturity — clarifying roles, decisions, and ownership in a tech-driven world
- As leaders, how can we cultivate a leadership style that thrives amidst the complexities of tech team dynamics
- Pathways for reskilling and redeployment in the public sector
- Building literacy and confidence to work alongside AI - leading people, not just technology
Morning Tea and Networking
10:30 AM - 11:00 AM (30 mins)
Industry Insights
11:00 AM - 11:20 AM (20 mins)
Redesigning Processes for AI-Infused, Intelligent Service Delivery
11:20 AM - 11:55 AM (35 mins)
- How can tech leaders align digital initiatives with governmental policies while leading through bureaucratic complexities?
- In the role of a leader, how do you instil agile thinking to reshape traditional processes within the public sector?
- How should leaders approach vendor relationships to cultivate fruitful partnerships that drive technological advancement?
Procurement for the Digital + AI Era – Enabling Innovation
11:55 AM - 12:10 PM (15 mins)
- Shifting from transactional to strategic procurement: How procurement leaders can enable agile, AI-ready service delivery through outcome-based contracts and flexible supplier engagement
- Embedding trust, transparency, and ethics in tech sourcing: Meeting public expectations around bias, safety, and explainability
- Navigating complexity and compliance: Balancing probity, risk, and innovation in procurement frameworks built for a fast-evolving technology landscape
Interactive Roundtable Sessions
12:10 PM - 1:10 PM (60 mins)
Roundtable 1: How to Lead People Through Digital and AI Change by Building Confidence, Capability and Culture
12:10 PM - 1:10 PM (60 mins)
Roundtable 2: How to use Procurement to Evolve Your Operating Model for Faster, Safer and More Adaptable Government Delivery
12:10 PM - 1:10 PM (60 mins)
Roundtable 3: Technology Choices, Human Consequences – The Leadership Decisions We Don’t Always Name
12:10 PM - 1:10 PM (60 mins)
As AI, automation and data driven systems reshape public services, leasers are making hundreds of technology decisions, often at speed. Alongside each of these sit human consequences that are rarely named as decisions in their own right. This roundtable will explore the leadership choices that sit alongside technology adoption, how work changes, how expectations shift, where capability is assumed rather than supported and how trust and wellbeing are affected. Inviting participants to share what they have learned, sometimes the hard way, about leading people through digital change.
Roundtable 4: How to Redesign Services for a Digital and AI-Enhanced Public Sector
12:10 PM - 1:10 PM (60 mins)
Roundtable 5: How to Reset Risk Appetite to Enable Digital and AI Innovation Safely and Responsibly
12:10 PM - 1:10 PM (60 mins)
Roundtable 6: How to Strengthen Trust Fundamentals in the Digital Government Era
12:10 PM - 1:10 PM (60 mins)
Lunch and Networking
1:10 PM - 2:10 PM (60 mins)
Investing with Intent – Finance Leadership for the Digital and AI Future of Government
2:10 PM - 2:25 PM (15 mins)
Industry Insights
2:25 PM - 2:45 PM (20 mins)
Strategic Foresight for an AI-Ready Public Sector: Setting Direction and Building Smart Foundations
2:45 PM - 3:20 PM (35 mins)
- Using AI for climate resilience, public health modelling and complex social issues.
- What counts as a “good” use case: citizen benefit vs agency efficiency.
- How to embed equity and Māori perspectives into use case design.
- Measuring impact: beyond cost savings to public trust and social outcomes.
Closing Remarks
3:20 PM - 3:30 PM (10 mins)
Ready to register?
Registration is free for government
Digital Leadership Day is an event for senior government executives. To request an invitation, please email [email protected] all requests will be subject to approval.