8:00	Registration and coffee
8:45	Mihi Whakatau
8:50	Welcome remarks from the Chair
9:05	The year ahead for WorkSafe: What leaders need to know Hear directly from WorkSafe on the regulator’s current priorities, areas of focus and approach to influencing better health and safety outcomes across Aotearoa New Zealand Explore the latest guidance, the shift towards critical-risk management, codes of practice and areas of regulatory focus, including what WorkSafe is seeing across high-risk sectors and where businesses may need to lift their attention Look beyond compliance to understand the emerging challenges WorkSafe is observing—from psychosocial risk and changing work environments to new technologies—and what health and safety leaders should be preparing for next Sharon Thompson, Chief Executive, WorkSafe
9:45	How complex systems fail: Lessons from Boeing's 737 MAX crashes Using a complex systems lens to examine two Boeing 737 MAX crashes to explain the organisational causes behind the deaths of 346 people Explore the reason why significant failures occur in complex systems and why the assumption of a direct and proportional link between cause and effect are not reliably linked Practical lessons for health and safety professionals on identifying systemic risk, organisational conditions and weak signals before they combine to create serious harm Sean Brady, Managing Director, Brady Heywood
10:30	Morning break
11:00	From Data to Decisions: The AI-Enabled Future of Safety Intelligence Explore where AI can deliver genuine value for safety leaders and practical ways it can improve insight, decision-making and assurance Examine how AI can connect critical-risk data, worker insights and real-time signals to identify emerging patterns and focus attention where it matters most Consider how safety leaders can harness AI responsibly to move from reporting what happened to anticipating where risk may be emerging
11:30	PANEL \| Safety at the board table: From Due Diligence to business performance Understand what the recent landmark appeal decision and proposed legislative changes mean for CEOs, directors and boards and how organisations have responded and adapted Explore how health and safety teams can better equip and support executives and boards through clear reporting, critical risk insights, effective assurance and evidence of informed decision-making evidence of informed decision-making Exploring the economic case for investment in health and safety, its impact on productivity and broader business performance, and importance for New Zealand Inc Wendy Rayner, Managing Director NZ, Coca-Cola Europacifc Partners Sally Copland, Managing Director, Wollworths Group New Zealand More panellists to be announced
12:30	Lunch
13:30	Health & Safety Amendment Bill: Navigating overlapping duties between PCBUs and contractors Understand the key changes taking effect from 1 April and what they mean for health and safety professionals Clarify overlapping duties between PCBUs, contractors and subcontractors, and what shared responsibility means in practice Explore how large and small businesses can work together to manage critical risks and meet their respective duties Consider how larger organisations can support smaller contractors without simply shifting responsibility or creating unnecessary compliance burdens
1:50	Roundtable discussions In these roundtables delegates will have the opportunity to attend two focused discussions, each focused on solving a specific problem and led by a leading subject matter expert. Delegates will choose and register for two roudntable discussions. H&S at Work Amendment Bill - Defining Critical Risk H&S at Work Amendment Bill - Navigating Overlapping Duties Psychosocial risk assessments - How do you effectively measure psychosocial risks in the workplace? Change as a risk - How can we manage the psychosocial risks created by change? Getting Culture Surveys Right - How can culture surveys lead to meaningful insights and drive action? AI, Data and Safer Systems - How can better data improve safety? AI and emerging safety risks - What new H&S risks does AI create, and how prepared are we to manage? Risk assessments - Are we assessing risk and controls effectively? When Risk Starts Outside Work - How should employers respond to external threats? The Risk We Overlook - Are high-volume, lower-level risks costing organisations more? Managing Difficult Situations at Work - How can workers recognise escalation and prevent conflict, aggression and harm? Building the Next Generation - How do we build the next generation of safety professionals? Making Safety Everyone’s Language - How can we bridge generational and cultural differences and make safety part of everyday work? The Healthy Workplace - How can we take a more holistic approach to workplace health? Data-Driven Safety: From Reporting to Real Engagement - How can better data enable more frontline engagement? Listening to the Frontline - How can we turn frontline insights into action?
15:15	Afternoon break
15:45	PANEL \| City Rail Link: Safety Stage Gates and safety governance in action Hear from duty holders and delivery managers from across the City Rail Link project and how they worked together to move governance from passive oversight to active enquiry Explore how Safety Stage Gates brought together evidence, assurance, operational insight and frontline realities before critical project transition decisions were made Take away practical lessons for applying structured assurance, independent challenge and clear accountability to improve safety decisions on complex projects Russell McMullan, GM Assurance and Integration, City Rail Link Lucy Cammell, Lead Engineer, Aurecon Lisa D'Oliveira, HSEQS Manager, Auckland One Rail Grant Nicholson, Partner, Anthony Harper
16:30	Next-generation leadership: Rethinking how we lead safety Explore how leading organisations are rethinking safety leadership in response to changing risks, technology and workforce expectations Share practical approaches for turning safety strategy into everyday leadership behaviours and meaningful action Consider what health and safety leaders need to do differently to build resilient organisations and prepare for the risks ahead
16:55	Summary remarks from the Chair
17:00	Day 1 Close and Networking drinks

8:30	Registration and coffee
9:00	Welcome back from the Chair
9:05	Keynote\| Beyond compliance: Understanding the human side of safety Explore why people behave the way they do at work and what this tells us about the systems and environments we create Challenge traditional approaches to human error, compliance and accountability by looking at safety through the eyes of the people doing the work Discover how leaders can build cultures that trust, empower and learn from people, creating the conditions for safer work every day
9:50	Industry panel \| Leadership in Action: Turning Health & Safety Expectations into Practice Industry perspectives on leadership in health and safety, highlighting how proactive leadership drives compliance, culture, and accountability across organisations Operational implications of the new legislation, including effects on day-to-day processes, staff responsibilities, training, and engagement, with practical examples of how businesses are adapting Identifying gaps beyond legal requirements, discussing what additional measures, systems, or initiatives need to be put in place to ensure critical safety practices are embedded even when not explicitly mandated by law Yolanda Oosthuizen, General Manager HSEQ, Horizon Energy Group More panellists to be confirmed
10:30	Morning break
11:00	When society comes to work: Understanding the rise of violence and aggression Explore the social, economic, institutional and health-system pressures contributing to rising violence and aggression in the workplace Examine why frontline workers are increasingly carrying the consequences of issues that extend well beyond the workplace Consider how organisations can better understand, prevent and respond to violence and aggression while supporting their people Katherine Ravenswood, Professor of Industrial Relations, Director - AUT Social Transformation Research Institute, Auckland University of Technology
11:40	PANEL \| The Changing Risk Landscape: Tackling Violence, Aggression and Psychosocial Harm Hear how health and safety professionals are responding to rising violence and aggression, particularly in customer-facing and frontline environments Explore how organisations are managing psychosocial risks for remote, isolated and lone workers, where exposure to aggression can be harder to identify, prevent and respond to Share practical tools, approaches and strategies for managing psychosocial risk, while balancing the growing workload and complexity facing health and safety professionals Darren Johnston, National Health & Safety Manager, Restaurant Brands Limited Stacey Shortall, Partner, Minter Ellison Selena Armstrong, CEO, Shopcare More panellists to be confirmed
12:30	Lunch
13:30	PANEL \| Tech in action: How organisations are digitising health and safety and reducing risk using technology and AI Explore how one company introduced AI-enhanced digital twins across its network, offering a new way to identify and reduce risk and enhance health and safety outcomes across the business Hear different perspectives from within the business on how it has changed the nature of their jobs, the role they play and the way they work Explore what’s next in technology, the opportunities it creates, the new risks it brings, and how it could reshape the future health and safety
14:15	Beyond the dashboard: The next frontier of safety technology Explore how AI, predictive analytics and emerging technologies could fundamentally change how organisations see and respond to risk Challenge the traditional reliance on lagging indicators by examining what real-time data can reveal about emerging risk and system performance Consider what safety leaders need to ask when technology starts moving from reporting what happened to anticipating what could happen
14:45	Summary remarks from the Chair
15:00	Conference close

The ultimate event to get you up to speed on the recent trends in everything health and safety

Health & Safety Leaders' Summit

Safety at the crossroads: Creating safe work in a dynamic landscape

16 - 17 March 2027 | Cordis, Auckland

Headline Sponsor 2027

About the Summit

DAY 1

DAY 2

Have you ever asked yourself what the difference in management and leadership is?

Here is a simple explanation:

Let's get you moved from a management mindset to leadership legacy.

Transform yourself to be an expert, innovator and visionary at the Health & Safety Leaders’ Summit 2025. So, you can not only achieve your goals but have a lasting impact!

Key Themes

Join a community of forward-thinking leaders and uncover next-generation strategies and insights to enhance the workplace safety and wellbeing landscape.

This summit is not just about keeping up with the pace; it is about shaping your and everyone else’s future.

Here’s what we’ve curated:

Theme - Connecting People. Collaborating for Safety.

Empower your choice: Craft your perfect conference experience

KEY SPEAKERS

Scott McMillan

Brett Murray

Kelly Hansen-White

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2027 Agenda:

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2027 Speakers

Sharon Thompson

Brenton Harrison

Grant Nicholson

Stacey Shortall MNZM

Dr Sean Brady

Wendy Rayner

Russell McMullan

Lucy Cammell

Lisa D’Oliveira,

Yolanda Oosthuizen

Katherine Ravenswood

Darren Johnston

Selena Armstrong

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