7:30

Doors Open

8:30

Conference Opens

8:40

Mihi Whakatau

8:45

Conference Welcome and Housekeeping

8:55

Session 1 | Building back better: Learning from disasters

Time and again, we see communities rise to the challenge of a crisis, but once recovery is complete, do we return to business as usual, or can we learn from disaster and improve the future? We hear from leaders who were on the ground when disaster hit their community and find out: what was broken, how was it fixed and ask; how do we embed what was learned into everyday decision making.

9:35

Session 2 | Future conditions: What climate projections mean for our critical infrastructure

What does the data tell us about our future? Our temperatures, sea levels and extreme weather events are changing, so how does infrastructure need to change with it? Drawing on both mātauranga Māori and climate science, we hear practical strategies for planning, designing and investing in critical infrastructure and focus on how to ensure that our water, transport and energy networks are fit for future generations.

10:15

Session 3 | Political Address: Infrastructure for the Future: Political Vision for a Resilient Aotearoa

What does Aotearoa need to do now to build the infrastructure we’ll rely on for generations to come? Hear from Wellington on the priorities for strengthening and funding our infrastructure, and how we can get better at planning and delivering it for the long term. We’ll explore how climate change, natural hazards, population growth and our existing infrastructure gaps are shaping the decisions we need to make, and what it will take to build more resilient networks and unlock long-term investment.

More details to follow after the 2026 election.

10:45

Morning Tea

11:10

Session 4 | Paying for resilience: How do we pay for a more resilient Aotearoa?

Climate risk is a financial risk. But who should pay to make our infrastructure and communities more resilient? Hear from government, iwi, infrastructure and insurance leaders on how they’re thinking about the growing cost of resilience. We’ll explore the role of public and private investment, insurance and new funding models, and the difficult trade-offs between affordability, risk and long-term value.

We ask where the money comes from, where it should go, and how we invest before disaster strikes.

11:50

Session 5 | Beyond the silos: Building resilience across infrastructure networks

When a major storm hits, infrastructure doesn’t operate in silos. A failure in one network can quickly create problems for others.

Using a realistic severe weather scenario, this session will explore how water, energy, transport and telecommunications networks respond when things go wrong, and where better coordination and the role of asset management could make a real difference.

Hear from infrastructure leaders about how sharing information, planning together and coordinating investment can strengthen resilience across the system. We’ll also look at what needs to change to move from talking about collaboration to actually doing it.

12:30

Lunch

13:20

Session 6 | Workshop Roundtable Discussions

This session will feature 20 roundtables exploring four key topics. Each topic will have five tables, with each table discussing a different question.

Topic 1. Prevention versus recovery. Why are we letting our assets fail, instead of building it for resilience?

Table 2. Who pays for resilience? Are we spending wisely and getting enough money from different sources?

Table 3. Resilience & AI

Table 4. Leadership, accountability and tough choices in a changing climate

14:10

Session 7 | Who Sets the Rules? Designing Infrastructure for the Future

The rules we set today shape the infrastructure we build tomorrow.

Hear from the regulators, policymakers and technical experts setting the standards for how infrastructure is planned, designed and delivered. Through real-world case studies, we’ll unpack how today’s settings deal with climate risk, natural hazards and changing demands and where they may need to evolve.

A practical look behind the settings that shape infrastructure design, with technical insight into what they mean on the ground.

14:50

Afternoon Tea

15:15

Session 8 | Build a Bridge and get on with it

We often think of infrastructure as the connector and enabler of a successful New Zealand. So why are we falling short when it comes to something as fundamental as our bridges?

With ageing bridges, mounting replacement costs and increasingly severe weather, we need to rethink how we build and maintain these vital links. What can we learn from the past to make smarter investments, get better value for money and ensure our bridges stand the test of time?

15:55

Roundtable Summary Address

16:15

Session 9 | From Insight to Action: A Roadmap for Resilient Infrastructure

We know the risks. We know resilience matters. So, what do we actually do next?

This closing session will bring the conversation together and ask what a shared resilience roadmap for Aotearoa could look like. What needs to change, who needs to lead, and where can government, infrastructure owners, iwi, communities and the private sector work together?

We’ll focus on practical commitments and next steps to turn good intentions into action and build infrastructure that is ready for what’s ahead.

16:55

Closing Remarks

17:00

Conference Close

17:00

Networking Drinks