Aka Raupapa National Freight and Supply Chain Superhui
Freight & Supply Chain Superhui
Moving from intention to action
Brightstar and Tainui Group Holdings (TGH) are proud to announce a landmark partnership to host Aka Raupapa: the inaugural National Freight & Supply Chain Superhui 2026. This collaboration unites Brightstar’s twenty-year legacy of building capability and fostering B2B connections with TGH’s intergenerational stewardship of freight and supply chain networks in the Waikato region.
For Brightstar, this partnership represents its ongoing journey to find a meaningful pathway in a modern Aotearoa, acting as a catalyst for organisations that put people at the centre of their success. This mission aligns perfectly with TGH’s responsibility to grow the commercial assets of Waikato-Tainui, where every profit is reinvested into the health, education, the environment, cultural wellbeing of the iwi and the generations to follow.
HONOHONO
Connectedness
The vine that binds ecosystems becomes the network that binds our economy.
RAUPAPA
Organisation
From scattered effort to sequenced action; from silos to system.
Whakatinanahia
From intention to action
Real decisions, real commitments, real delivery.
Whakapapa
Intergenerational view
Choices that honour those before us and equip those after us.
Manawaroa
Resilience
Designing for shocks and adapting with agility.
toituu
Sustainability & Productivity
Doing more with less impact; value that endures.
Te Puutake - The Essence
Aka is the vine: living, tensile, always seeking, binding trees and whole ecosystems together. Raupapa is order: the purposeful arranging, sequencing and organising that turns movement into momentum. Aka Raupapa is the living network of Aotearoa New Zealand’s supply chain – roots, branches and waterways interlaced – moving us from intention to action.
For centuries Waikato awa (river) was the original supply chain of local iwi – the aka that connected people, places and prosperity. Along its banks, stands of trees intertwined below the surface; old trees giving life to the new. Trade among iwi before the arrival of the settlers was sophisticated and relational: kumara met tuna; fish from Kaawhia travelled inland; mountain kai journeyed downstream. Nothing stood alone; everything found its path through connection, reciprocity and careful whakaraupapa – stacking, sequencing and organising so the right taonga reached the right people at the right time.
Aka Raupapa re-awakens that worldview for the 21st century and beyond. It is the invitation to gather government, industry and iwi leaders, network operators, exporters, property specialists and cargo owners into one forest of thought – a Superhui – to weave a national logistics system that is cohesive, resilient, productive and future-fit.
When the forest is connected, life moves. When our supply chain is organised, Aotearoa moves—with speed where speed matters, with care where care is essential, and with purpose always. Aka Raupapa is the moment we move together.
For Brightstar, this partnership represents its ongoing journey to find a meaningful pathway in a modern Aotearoa, acting as a catalyst for organisations that put people at the centre of their success. This mission aligns perfectly with TGH’s responsibility to grow the commercial assets of Waikato-Tainui, where every profit is reinvested into the health, education, the environment, cultural wellbeing of the iwi and the generations to follow.
KEY THEMES FOR 2026
These four strategic themes capture the critical pillars of the Aka Raupapa Superhui, offering partners a clear opportunity to align their brand with the resilience, innovation, and cultural leadership shaping the future of Aotearoa New Zealand’s supply chain.
Building Resilient Supply Chains
Aotearoa New Zealand’s geographic remoteness, climate exposure and global connectivity risks demand a more resilient national freight and supply chain system. This theme explores how resilience is built through coordinated planning, adaptive infrastructure, diversified routes, and stronger collaboration between government, industry and iwi. The focus is on moving beyond reactive responses to designing systems that can absorb shocks, adapt quickly and protect long-term national prosperity.
Lifting Productivity Across the Freight & Logistics Ecosystem
Productivity is the engine that enables the country to compete globally while managing cost, time and complexity across freight networks. This theme examines how system-wide productivity gains can be achieved through better network design, intermodal integration, technology adoption and smarter investment decisions. By addressing bottlenecks, duplication and fragmentation, the Superhui looks at how productivity improvements directly support resilience and unlock sustainable economic growth.
Investing for Long-Term Prosperity and Intergenerational Outcomes
Collective Action: Aligning Government, Industry and Iwi
Event Agenda
Day 1
8:00 | Registration and coffee |
08:30 | Mihi Whakatau |
9:00 | Welcome from Waikato Tainui |
9:10 | Welcome remarks from the Chair |
9:20 | The Road Ahead: Global macro trends and the future of New Zealand supply chains
|
10:00 | Supply chains to the last bus stop on the planet: An international perspective on strengthening New Zealand’s supply chain resilience
|
10:50 | Morning break |
11:20 | Shaping the playing field – NZ government agency perspectives
|
12:35 | Lunch |
13:30 | Panel – Reimagining New Zealand’s supply chain: Productivity, resilience and prosperity for the decade ahead
|
14:15 | International case study - Optimising supply chains through collaboration: Lessons from abroad
|
15:00 | Afternoon Break |
15:20 | CEO Panel: Ports, shipping & the future of freight
|
16:05 | Case study - Supply chain strategy: Driving efficiency and resilience
|
16:30 | Case study - Ruakura Inland Port: Transforming freight and supply chain connectivity
|
17:00 | Day 1 Close and Networking Drinks |
Day 2
8:00 | Registration and coffee |
9:00 | Welcome remarks from the Chair |
9:05 | Keynote - Ministerial address
Minister for Infrastructure under invitation |
9:30 | Keynote – Building resilient freight: Infrastructure strategy and investment
New Zealand Infrastructure Commission, Te Waihanga, under invitation |
10:00 | Future-proofing freight: Investing in resilient and sustainable supply chains
|
10:30 | Morning break |
11:00 | The Maaori economy and its impact on NZs supply chains
|
11:30 | Industry 4.0 across NZ supply chains: Technology showcase Quick fire presentations showcasing Industry 4.0 technologies transforming supply chains, including solutions like:
|
12:30 | Lunch |
13:30 | People, skills and scale: Strengthening supply chain capability
|
14:10 | Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage: Global Insights & Regulatory Trends
|
14:50 | Closing comments |
14:55 | Karakia |
15:00 | Conference close |
Aka Raupapa Advisory Panel
Our 2026 key lineup brings together thought leaders, trailblazers and expert practitioners in nursing. Check out more today.
Nadia Trent
Senior Lecturer in Supply Chain Management at the University of Waikato
Justin Tighe-Umbers
Chief Executive
National Road Carriers
Traci Houpapa
Chair
Federation of Māori Authorities (FOMA)
Ian Bonnar
CEO Group
Tickets
PRESALE
Individual Conference
-
For valid ticket, payment by 3 April, 2026.
Double Pass
Conference
-
Min Purchase 2 tickets - Must be from the same organisation and book at the same time. For valid tickets, payment by 1 July, 2026.
Dinner
Individual Ticket
-
Dinner only - non sponsoring service providers and vendors are ineligible to purchase.
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
Gold Sponsor
Umbrella Wellbeing
Silver sponsors
Umbrella Wellbeing
Umbrella Wellbeing
Umbrella Wellbeing
Umbrella Wellbeing
Exhibitors
Umbrella Wellbeing
Umbrella Wellbeing
Umbrella Wellbeing
Umbrella Wellbeing
Umbrella Wellbeing
Umbrella Wellbeing
Umbrella Wellbeing
Umbrella Wellbeing
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