10-11 November 2026
Due Drop, Auckland

THE KURA CONFERENCE

National curriculum changes are here.
Is your school up to speed?

From policy to pedagogy. We build the bridge.

New Zealand’s education landscape is shifting beneath our feet. Between navigating massive curriculum updates, managing staff wellbeing, and grappling with the rapid rise of AI in our classrooms, school leaders and educators are being asked to redesign learning in real-time.

The Kura Conference is where we move past the theory and hand you the practical blueprints. This is a multi-streamed, high-impact summit designed to give you the strategic tools, technological literacy, and leadership resilience required to guide your kura into the future.

Three Streams. Two Days.
One Definitive Event for Aotearoa’s Educators.

We’re busy building a program for this event, check back soon for the agendas and speaker line-up for each of the streams below.

The Engine

Curriculum, Pedagogy & Change

We strip back the noise surrounding the national curriculum changes. From deep dives into Primary and Secondary shifts to the mechanics of change management, this stream provides the blueprint for implementing pedagogical shifts without losing your school’s unique identity.

The Frontier

The Innovation Stream

Innovation is a core requirement for the modern classroom. We explore the ethical frontier of AI, practical use cases to reduce teacher workload, and how to build an innovation-ready culture. By championing integrated learning for purpose-led, real-world connections, this stream gives you the tools to prepare our ākonga for a future workforce that hasn’t been built yet.

The Heart

Sustainable Leadership

This stream explores the people challenges and opportunities facing today’s school leaders – from managing complaints, navigating difficult community dynamics, and tackling complex HR issues, to leading meaningful change within your kura. Learn from the experiences of other leaders and gain the latest insights into sustainable leadership practices that enable both people and schools to flourish.

Why your school will value this investment:

The Kura Conference is designed for maximum institutional impact, tailored specifically for Primary & Secondary School Leaders, HODs, Lead Teachers, and Educational Innovators.

Because this is a multi-streamed event covering curriculum, tech, and wellbeing simultaneously, the most effective strategy is to send a leadership cohort to divide and conquer the program. By customising your team’s experience and swapping between streams, your school will walk away with a comprehensive return on investment:

Actionable Curriculum Blueprints:

Your curriculum leads and HODs will gain ready-to-implement frameworks for the refreshed national curriculum, moving seamlessly from policy to classroom practice.

Workload Reduction through Tech:

Your educational innovators will discover verified AI and tech use cases specifically vetted to give teachers time back and streamline administration.

Strategic Alignment & Value Protection:

Your senior leadership team will acquire the change-management tools needed to align incoming national priorities with your school’s unique local values.

Staff Resilience & Wellbeing:

Your leadership cohort will bring back practical, systemic strategies to combat teacher burnout, navigate complex student behaviours, and support neurodivergence.

National Networking:

Your staff will connect and collaborate with primary and secondary peers from across Aotearoa who are successfully navigating the exact same transitions.

Tickets Opening Soon — Register Your Interest

We are currently finalising our ticketing tiers, including exclusive early-bird rates and team package discounts. Register your interest below.

This event is ideal for:

Executives and leaders: Those responsible for driving strategic change and organisational transformation.
Change management professionals: Individuals who specialise in managing and leading change initiatives.
HR professionals: HR leaders and practitioners interested in fostering a culture of change and employee engagement.
Consultants and advisors: Professionals who support organisations in their change and transformation journeys.
Anyone seeking to develop their leadership skills and ability to navigate change.

Venue

The location and how you can get there

Address

Due Drop Events Centre
770 Great South Road,
Wiri, Auckland

8:30	Registration and Coffee
9:00	Welcome from the Chair
9:10	Transformation starts with leadership: Setting the tone from the top Why most transformations fail at the human layer, not the technology layer The leadership behaviours that shape trust, culture, and momentum Aligning executive teams around a shared narrative for change Creating clarity in environments of uncertainty, pressure, and fatigue What visible leadership looks like during transformation Building leadership and compatibility in multiple organisation relationships during transformations Allan Sampson, Executive Leadership \| Business Transformation & Strategy; ex Country Manager NZ, Gentrack
9:50	From intent to adoption: Making change stick in the real world Why change initiatives fail after launch, even when the strategy is sound Designing change around real behaviours, not ideal processes Overcoming resistance, disengagement, and passive non-compliance Building ownership at every level Measuring success through behaviour change, not activity or rollout Ben Dakers, Chief Digital Officer, Awanui Labs
10:30	Morning break
11:00	The foundations of successful change - Why trust must be built long before transformation begins Translating complex transformation into clear, meaningful messaging for different audiences Supporting leaders to communicate consistently, visibly and with credibility Navigating ambiguity, difficult conversations and change fatigue across organisations Ensuring communication drives clarity, trust and action – not just awareness Nigel Wilson, GM Corporate Communications, KiwiRail
11:45	Communication & Culture in an Age of Accelerating Change Why communication breaks down when technology, AI, and constant change reshape how people work How “digital body language” influences trust, culture, psychological safety, and engagement The hidden impact of technology on human connection, interpretation, and workplace behaviour Why leaders must rethink communication in environments shaped by hybrid work, AI, and information overload Practical strategies to strengthen trust, reduce friction, and lead humans through transformation Melissa Crawford, Futurist, Technologist and Culture Change expert
12:30	Lunch
1:30	Beyond the AI hype: Embedding AI into how work gets done Why AI fails without workforce readiness, trust, and clear use cases Designing AI-enabled workflows that augment how people work Moving from pilots to production: governance, data readiness, and integration challenges Building confidence vs resistance across teams – overcoming the AI FUD cycle Measuring success: adoption, productivity uplift, and decision quality, not just deployment
2:10	The change capability gap: Why strategy fails in execution The missing middle: translating strategy into day-to-day behaviour Building internal change leadership at every level across the organisation Practical approaches to driving adoption and accountability Embedding change as a core organisational muscle Amy Cavanaugh, Head of Transformation, Public Trust
2:50	Leading people through sustained change The cumulative impact of continuous change on teams and leaders Managing fatigue, disengagement, and change saturation Supporting people through uncertainty, ambiguity, and shifting priorities Maintaining performance while navigating ongoing transformation Shyamini Szeko, Head of Organisational Capability, Tegel Foods Ltd
3.30	Afternoon break
3:50	Resilient by design: Leading through uncertainty, risk, and transformation fatigue Building resilience at individual, team, and organisational levels Leading through ambiguity, pressure, and constant change cycles Balancing urgency with sustainability Supporting wellbeing while maintaining accountability
4:20	Closing keynote: The future of change leadership Why change is no longer an initiative, but a constant state The leadership mindset required to lead in ongoing transformation Building organisations that continuously adapt and evolve What NZ organisations must do to stay competitive while staying human-centred Scott Wright, Founder & CEO, The HI Company
5:00	Chair's summary remarks and end of conference followed by networking reception

Speakers

Nigel Wilson

GM Corporate Communications

KiwiRail

Read bio

Nigel Wilson is a senior communications and engagement leader with more than 20 years’ experience helping large and complex organisations navigate transformation, uncertainty and high-pressure environments.

He is currently GM Corporate Communications at KiwiRail, where he has led communication and engagement through significant organisational change, major operational events, and periods of intense public and stakeholder scrutiny. His experience spans executive communication, internal culture and engagement, leadership alignment, crisis communication, and translating complex strategy into clear, human-centred narratives.

Prior to KiwiRail, Nigel held senior communications roles at organisations including Spark, BNZ and Fonterra, working across large-scale transformation programmes, culture and leadership initiatives, and enterprise-wide change.

Nigel is particularly interested in the role trust, clarity and leadership behaviour play during periods of transformation, and how organisations can communicate in ways that build credibility, reduce confusion and support meaningful change adoption.

Nigel is known for combining strategic insight, operational realism and engaging storytelling to help leaders think differently about trust, communication and change.

Melissa Crawford

Director

Tech with Heart

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Melissa Crawford is a leading Expert in the Future of work. With a rare skillset crossing both people and technology. Her earlier career has included senior roles across NZ’s largest organisations crossing a variety of industries including Tech, Airline, Banking, FMCG, Retail, Education and Energy. Melissa has two technology degrees and is currently completing a Master of Science in Psychology. Using this focus across Technology and People Melissa applies this to her Futurist and Strategic Foresight work. Melissa is a graduate from both The Institute for the Future and Houston University’s Foresight programmes as well as being a member of the Association of Professional Futurists. In 2025 Melissa was awarded the Emerging Directors Award from the Institute of Directors. Melissa is the Director of Tech with Heart where she helps companies with their future strategies, holds a place on a number of governance and advisory boards and is a sought-after global keynote speaker. Her passion is sharing her knowledge with learning curious people and working on strategic projects to help shape a better future.

Scott Wright

Founder

The HI Company

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Scott Wright is a speaker, TEDx presenter and founder of The HI Co, with 30 years of senior commercial and executive leadership experience across iconic businesses including Frucor Suntory, Lion, Goodman Fielder, DB and Cadbury. A former Marketing Director, Commercial Director and General Manager, Scott has spent nearly two decades on executive leadership teams, leading strategy, driving growth, building cultures and navigating disruption from the inside.

His recent TEDx talk, What Are Your Yellow Shoes?, explored how to best invest in your Human Identity and presence as a strategic asset, not just a soft skill. Scott’s message for finance and accounting leaders is that knowing your personal leadership brand is a critical skill to underpin your effectiveness.

Amy Cavanaugh

Head of Transformation

Public Trust

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Allan Sampson

Executive Leadership | Business Transformation and Strategy

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Shyamini Szeko

Head of Organisational Capability

Tegel foods

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Shyamini Szeko is Head of Organisational Capability at Tegel Foods, where she leads work that connects strategy, capability, and execution across the business. She focuses on helping organisations build the capability and confidence to navigate ongoing change, not just once, but continuously. Her Master’s in Change and Organisational Resilience has shaped a particular interest in how continuous change and an ageing workforce intersect in the workplace. She focuses on how change is experienced differently across life stages, and what this means for organisations trying to sustain performance, inclusion, and adaptability over time.

Ben Dakers

Chief Digital Officer

Awanui Labs

Read bio

Sponsorship & Exhibition Opportunities

Aotearoa’s schools are facing massive curriculum changes, staff burnout, and the rise of AI. Decision-makers aren’t just looking for advice—they are looking for tools, tech, and partners to help them execute.

The Kura Conference 2026 brings together primary and secondary principals, board members, and educational innovators. Align your brand with our dedicated Curriculum, Innovation, or Leadership streams and pitch directly to the budget holders.

Ready to take your brand to the next level? Contact us today to learn more or secure your spot at this leading event.

Tickets - choose your option

$ 1100 + gst Per Person

Must be from the same organisation & book at the same time. For valid tickets, payment by 30 July, 2026.

$1699

$ 1299 + gst

For valid ticket, payment by 12 June, 2026.

$1499

$ 1099 + gst

For valid ticket, payment by 12 June, 2026.

$ 1100 + gst Per Person

Must be from the same organisation & book at the same time. For valid tickets, payment by 30 July, 2026.

$1699

$ 1299 + gst

For valid ticket, payment by 12 June, 2026.

$1699

$ 1499 + gst

For valid ticket, payment by 30 June, 2026.

$ 1699 + gst

For valid ticket, payment by 30 July, 2026.

Local, Central Govt, NGO & Māori Trusts rate

$ 1100 + gst Per Person

Must be from the same organisation & book at the same time. For valid tickets, payment by 30 July, 2026.

$1499

$ 1099 + gst

For valid ticket, payment by 12 June, 2026.

$1499

$ 1299 + gst

For valid ticket, payment by 30 June, 2026.

$ 1499 + gst

For valid ticket, payment by 30 July, 2026.

Registration Conditions

Ticket Terms
All prices are in New Zealand dollars ($NZD)
A surcharge of 2.5% + GST applies to credit card payments on top of the total amount.
Pre-Sale Tickets are valid only for the specific event for which they were purchased and cannot be transferred to other events. To remain valid, Super Saver and Early Bird tickets must be paid by date quoted.
Group ticket options are valid for registrations from the same organisation, booked at the same time.
By selecting any special pricing offer for classes of organisation, sector, or individuals or using any promotion code, you are asserting to the organiser your right to claim any such pricing offer, and acknowledge the organiser’s right to audit such claim and, if in the opinion of the organiser using its sole discretion the conditions for special pricing are not met, reject any registration.

For full terms & conditions, please visit https://www.brightstar.co.nz/terms-and-conditions

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