8:30

Registration and Coffee

8:45

Mihi Whakatau

8:55

Welcome from the conference MC

Angela Young, Group Marketing + Indigenous Director, Tonkin + Taylor

9:00

Opening Remarks: 

Nick Leggett, Chief Executive, Infrastructure New Zealand

UNDERSTANDING THE CHALLENGE

9:10

Risky Neglect – New Zealand’s National Disaster Risk Governance

Over the last 20 or so years, New Zealand has racked up disaster losses of well over $100 billion, from earthquakes, a pandemic, the leaky homes fiasco, and storms, floods and landslides. This has contributed to marked increases of inflation and the national debt, in addition to the high direct costs to public infrastructure, businesses and individuals. In each of the big events, we see a tendency for unrecognised exposure and vulnerability, with the build-up of latent risk finally revealed by the hazard event.

Current efforts to address disaster risk are typically reactive, ad hoc, and hazard- or sector-focused. To reduce the costs of disasters in future will require a major upgrade of our national risk governance, including through high-profile political leadership, closer attention to the root causes of risk, a focus on risk as the key quantifiable factor to be managed, and the creation of a coherent national programme, with greater resources, to systematically monitor, assess and reduce all types of risk.

Reid Basher, Former Senior Advisor to the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction

9:50

Ministerial Address

Hon Chris Bishop, MP for Hutt South, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister of Housing, Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Minister for Sport and Recreation, Leader of the House, and Associate Minister of Finance

10:30

MORNING BREAK

ADAPTING TO CLIMATE CHANGE

11:00

Ministerial Address

Hon Simon Watts, MP for North Shore, Minister of Climate Change, and Minister of Revenue

11:10

Panel Discussion: Towards an Adaptation Framework for New Zealand

Stuart Smith, MP for Kaikōura

Hon Barbara Edmonds, MP for Mana, Member - Finance and Expenditure Committee, Labour Spokesperson for Infrastructure, and Labour Spokesperson for Finance

Simon Court MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the Minister for Infrastructure and the Minister Responsible for RMA Reform, Member - Environment Committee, and Act spokesperson for Climate Change, Energy and Resources

Chlöe Swarbrick, Green Party Co-Leader. MP for Auckland Central, and Member - Finance and Expenditure Committee

11:50

Climate Change Commission Address

Jo Hendy, Chief Executive, Climate Change Commission

12.20

Toitū Te Taiao | Nature Will Prevail
Dr Alayna Rā and Dr Rowan Dixon will speak to examples from across Aotearoa where public, private and iwi organisations are proactively exploring resilient future infrastructure solutions. They will discuss infrastructure resilience through the lens of responsive design and the lessons we can learn from Te Ao Tūroa, our longstanding universe and environment. Futures-conscious infrastructure investment and the long-term viability of an asset to withstand changing climatic, and associated social, conditions will be central to this kōrero.

Dr Alayna Rā, Indigenous Design Director, WSP

Dr Rowan Dixon, Associate Director - Strategic Advisory - Climate Change, Resilience and Sustainability, WSP

Sponsored by:

1:00

LUNCH BREAK

CONCURRENT STREAM A

 SUPPORTING SECTOR LEVEL RESILIENCE

2:00

Panel discussion: Resilient Roads Ahead - The Role of Local Government and Community in Strategic Transport Infrastructure
2025 will be a defining year for Aotearoa; in strategy, decision making and connection between the community and local government.

Vanessa Browne, Interim Group General Manager Te Toki Transport Services, New Zealand Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi

Murray Burt, Director of Infrastructure and Place, Auckland Transport

Bruce Hinson, National Operations Manager for Transport New Zealand, Ventia

Steve Murrin, Marlborough Roads Manager, New Zealand Transport Agency | Waka Kotahi

Facilitated by: Amy Shattock, Principal Communications and Engagement Consultant, Stantec

Sponsored by:

2:30

Panel discussion: Telecommunication Resilience

Craig Young, Chief Executive Officer, TUANZ

Julian Kersey, Chief Corporate & Regulatory Officer, Chorus

Paul Brislen, Chief Executive Officer, New Zealand Telecommunications Forum (TCF)

Andy Burgess, General Manager - Infrastructure Regulation, Commerce Commission | Te Komihana Tauhokohoko 

3:00

Energy Security

Karen Boyes, Executive Director, Major Electricity Users' Group

CONCURRENT STREAM B

CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE

2:00

An Update on the Critical Infrastructure Reform Programme

Ryan Walsh, Project Director, Critical Infrastructure Resilience - National Security Group, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet

2:30

Critical Infrastructure Learnings from Australia

Sponsored by:

3:00

Building Resilience in an Interconnected Infrastructure Network

Peter Nunns, Acting General Manager – Strategy, New Zealand Infrastructure Commission | Te Waihanga

3:30

AFTERNOON BREAK

THE WAY FORWARD

4:00

Who Pays?

Sir Terence Arnold, Chair - Expert Working Group on Managed Retreat

4:30

Insuring New Zealand’s Future

Hon Kris Faafoi, Chief Executive, Insurance Council of New Zealand

5:00

Closing Remarks