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NZ Risk & Resilience Summit 2026

 

Global perspectives – synchronisation with global movements, trends, and best practices.

New Zealand Risk & Resilience Summit – held 22-23 July 2026 | Te Papa, Wellington

The last decade has rewritten the rules of stability. From global shifts to local shocks, the message is clear: Risk management, resilience, and connectedness are no longer just “nice-to-haves” – they are the bedrock of operational effectiveness for business, government, and our communities.

This is a global intelligence gathering designed specifically for the New Zealand context brought together the brightest minds from across the country and the globe to synchronise with international movements, trends, and best practices.

PRESS RELEASE: New Zealand Risk & Resilience Summit 2026 Brought Global Expertise to Wellington

PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RiskNZ 28th July 2026

New Zealand Risk & Resilience Summit 2026 Brought Global Expertise to Wellington

The New Zealand Risk & Resilience Summit 2026 organised by RiskNZ and Brightstar, brought together leading national and international experts, senior executives, government leaders, academics, and risk professionals at Te Papa in Wellington on 22–23 July to examine how organisations can thrive in an increasingly uncertain world.

Held under the theme “Global Perspectives – Synchronisation with Global Movements, Trends and Best Practices,” the Summit provided a platform for New Zealand organisations to connect with international thinking while addressing the unique challenges facing business, government, and communities across Aotearoa.

Recognising that the past decade had fundamentally reshaped the global operating environment, the Summit explored how geopolitical instability, cyber threats, climate impacts, supply chain disruption, fraud, artificial intelligence, and evolving governance expectations had elevated risk management and organisational resilience from operational functions to strategic imperatives.

Throughout the two-day programme, delegates heard from internationally recognised thought leaders and New Zealand’s leading practitioners on strengthening decision-making, improving governance, building organisational resilience, and developing future-ready risk capability.

A highlight of the Summit was the international keynote delivered by Grant Purdy, one of the world’s foremost authorities on risk management and decision-making. Drawing on more than four decades of experience and his role in developing national and international risk management standards, Purdy challenged conventional thinking and encouraged organisations to focus on achieving “sufficient certainty” to support better decision-making.

His keynote, Making Even Better Decisions – The Role Risk Management Plays in Decision-Making, examined governance, uncertainty, decision-making under pressure, and the evolving capabilities required of modern risk professionals.

The Summit featured an outstanding line-up of speakers including Hennie Van Der Watt– PwC New Zealand, Brad Smith – Riskonnect, Nigel Toms – Watercare, Rodney Young – Gallagher,  Chris Hawksworth – Speculo, Martin Petts – F24, Jane Whiter – RMIA, Santosh Bhat – Australiasian Project Planning, Vivian Valbuena – Fisher Funds and Boaz Fischer – Australia Institute of Insider Threats.

Across keynote presentations, panel discussions, and interactive roundtables, delegates explored strategic risk and resilience, governance, artificial intelligence, cyber security, fraud prevention, sustainability, business continuity, and the professionalisation of the risk management function. The programme highlighted practical strategies, emerging global trends, and real-world examples that organisations could apply to strengthen resilience and improve performance.

The Summit reinforced that risk management is no longer solely about preventing failure but is a strategic capability that enables better decisions, supports organisational success, and strengthens communities. By bringing together global expertise and New Zealand perspectives, the event fostered valuable collaboration and shared learning that will help shape the future of risk and resilience across Aotearoa.

This years event attracted key sponsors including: Riskonnect, Tiotu Envirocare, Diligent, Riskware and Protecht. Summit exhibitors included LexisNexis, Progress, NAVEX, Archer Technologies and Australiasian Project Planning.

‘Join us next year in Auckland for the 2027 RiskNZ Summit which will further shape and educate, enable heightened thinking, provide opportunities to meet and mingle with the best thinkers and influencers in risk management, and give you immediate value to take back to make a real difference.

Event Details

New Zealand Risk & Resilience Summit 2026 Dates: 22–23 July 2026 Venue: Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand

ENDS

Further Information:

David Turner, RiskNZ CEO [email protected]

David Fox, RiskNZ Chair [email protected]

Grant Purdy Keynote Speaker - Order Deciding

 

 

ORDER YOUR COPY OF DECIDING – By Grant Purdy and Roger Estall

https://www.sufficientcertainty.com

While he has had many titles over the last 40+ years, they all seems to come down to assisting decision makers to have effective and efficient conversations about whether the decisions they are making, and have made previously, are providing sufficient certainty that intended outcomes will be achieved.

Through most of Grant’s career this has been labelled risk management. However, despite his best efforts, this is still widely perceived as being concerned avoiding failures rather than achieving successful outcomes.

Grant chaired the Standards Australia and Standards NZ committee on risk management for 10 years and helped write four national and one international standard on risk management.

He has worked in over 25 countries and in numerous types of industry and organisation and has over 100 articles and papers published. He’s spoken, probably too often, and written quite a few books and handbooks, always with others.  Nowadays, he mentors, trains, supports and generally helps organisations and the people who lead them make more-soundly based decisions – so their organisation can realise its purpose.

Grant has started five companies, held executive positions in four multi-national companies, sat on several boards and committees and now works only in the not-for- profit sector, on a pro bono basis. He sits on the boards of three charities and
advises several others.

International keynote address: Making even better decisions – the role risk management plays in decision-making

  • Governance, decision-making and risk management – how they fit together
  • Exploring the two, quite divergent streams of thinking: How these came about and which creates most value
  • Examining the major fallacies about risks and their management
  • Should we rather talk about uncertainty – or even, obtaining sufficient certainty?
  • Responding to disruptions – making better decisions under pressure
  • Identifying the skills risk management professionals need, so they are valued more
  • Exploring how societies like RiskNZ can help improve the skills and standing of RM professionals

Grant Purdy, Director and author, Sufficient Certainty

Thank you to the 2026 NZ Risk & Resilience Summit Sponsors

 

 

Find out more about sponsoring the RiskNZ Conference 2027 – Sponsorship Opportunities – Email [email protected]

Boaz Fischer - Australian Institute of Insider Threats

Thank you to Boaz Fischer for donating a number of books for us to use as spot prizes during the New Zealand Risk & Resilience Summit.  Website & order books.