Past Events Directory


National Level Collaboration - Setting-Up for Success

The establishment of Predator Free 2050 was a national collaborative process. It involved multiple public sector agencies, local government, NGOs, scientists, iwi and more in one collaborative process. This event shares the key lessons learnt through the process, including where to start, what elements are critical to make it work, lessons learnt and the top tips for success.

  • 30 Nov 2021
  • 2021
  • Collaboration
  • Public Service
  • Wellington

Collaboration - You Can Make It Work With Great Results

In this IPANZ lunchtime event, Andrew Crisp, Chief Executive of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and Nigel Bickle, Chief Executive of Hastings District Council shared their experience collaborating on the Place Based Housing Initiative in Hastings - an excellent example of collaboration between community, iwi, local and central government! Andrew and Nigel skillfully combined the big picture of recent developments in systems, institutions and capability in New Zealand’s housing sector with a clear focus on the lives of people in Hastings and their housing needs, while sharing their reflections on the deep relationships needed to support this collaboration through good times and bad.

  • 25 Nov 2021
  • 2021
  • Collaboration
  • Leadership
  • Local Government
  • Public Service
  • Wellington

Leadership for Digital Transformation

On 3 November, IPANZ held an event exploring the issues the Public Service faces Leading Digital Transformation. Panelists Naomi Ferguson - Chief Executive of Inland Revenue, Richard Foy - Director of the Te Puna Rua Collaboration, Department of Internal Affairs, and Pia Andrews - Open Data & Digital Government Specialist, in conversation with IPANZ president Liz MacPherson shared their vision for the future, the capability gaps within the sector, and the opportunities and challenges that lay ahead.

  • 03 Nov 2021
  • 2021
  • Information Technology
  • Leadership
  • Public Service Reform
  • Stewardship
  • Wellington

Framing Information for Better Decision-Making

If we want to have an impact as public servants, if we want to win hearts and minds to work towards outcomes, if we want to make a difference, we may need to change the way we communicate. We invited Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw to speak to our members about the ways public servants could transform he way in which they engage with the public.

  • 02 Nov 2021
  • 2021
  • Engagement
  • Public Service
  • Wellington

Learning To Be An Ally for Ethnic Communities

New Zealand is a superdiverse country, we boast 223 different ethnicities and 191 languages. In July of this year, the Ministry of Ethnic Communities was established. In this session, the inaugural Chief Executive, Mervin Singham, shared stories of subtle racism and his thoughts on what we can all do to support this agencies work.

  • 12 Oct 2021
  • 2021
  • Cultural Competence
  • Diversity
  • Leadership
  • Public Service
  • Wellington

Face to Face with Digital Exclusion

In this lunchtime seminar, Sacha Green, National Advisor - Legal and Strategic at the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) shared the findings and lessons for the Public Sector, from CAB's report, Face to Face with Digital Exclusion - A Spotlight Report into the Impacts of Digital Public Services on Inclusion and Wellbeing.

  • 27 Sep 2021
  • 2021
  • Customer service
  • Engagement
  • Public Service
  • Technology
  • Wellbeing
  • Wellington

Hokai Rangi - Partnerships and Engagement with Maori

Hōkai Rangi describes Correction’s vision for the future: eliminating the overrepresentation of Māori in the criminal justice system, through uplifting the oranga (or well-being) of Māori in Corrections’ care and management, and their whanau.

  • 17 Aug 2021
  • 2021
  • Co-Design
  • Engagement
  • Maori-Crown Relationships
  • Public Service
  • Wellington

New Professionals - Data in Diversity

The Auckland New Professionals hosted this fascinating event, discussing the importance of measuring diversity in large organisations.

  • 30 Jul 2021
  • 2021
  • Auckland
  • Demographics
  • Diversity
  • Public Service

IPANZ Annual General Meeting with Guest Speaker Professor Arthur Grimes

IPANZ invited Professor Arthur Grimes to be guest speaker at it's 2021 Annual General Meeting. Professor Grimes provided a fascinating account of New Zealand's approach to improving wellbeing, in considering whether New Zealand's Wellbeing Approach has lived up to its promise! He used a critical review of the application of wellbeing frameworks in other parts of the world to consider possible enhancements to New Zealand's approach.

  • 27 Jul 2021
  • 2021
  • Public Service
  • Wellbeing
  • Wellington

Applied Innovation in the Public Sector

As public servants we must constantly understand the changing dynamics, challenges and expectations of the democracies we serve. How public sector bodies undertake the innovation needed to explore, understand and adapt to this changing context is a fascinating and unique challenge.
In this session, Sean Audain, City Innovation Lead, Wellington City Council and Pia Andrews, Open and Digital Government specialist shared some of their views about and experiences building and sustaining an innovation culture, and how some of the tools and techniques applied can help us meet the challenges of the next decade.

  • 19 Jul 2021
  • 2021
  • Big Data
  • Innovation
  • Public Service
  • Technology
  • Wellington

Co-Design Symposium - Ways of Being, Knowing and Doing

In July of this year, IPANZ partnered with The Southern Initiative, the Tuakana Teina Evaluation Collective, Nga Aho Maori design practitioners and Allen and Clarke to deliver an inspiring online symposium. The collective offered - deep experience of both authentic co-design processes and tikanga Maori combined with superb participative technology.

  • 07 Jul 2021
  • 2021
  • Co-Design
  • Other
  • Public Service
  • Te Tiriti

New Professionals - Meet the Chiefs Breakfast with Meng Foon

Meng Foon, Race Relations Commissioner from the Human Rights Commission spoke to the New Professionals about his career at this breakfast event. He had some great insight such as, “If you every want to know how popular you are, stand for an election!”

  • 22 Jun 2021
  • 2021
  • Leadership
  • New Professionals
  • Wellington

Refreshing Human Rights for Our Time and Place - The Crucial and Constructive Role of the Public Service

Paul Hunt, the Chief Human Rights Commissioner shared with attendees of this lunchtime session the critical role the Public Service has in advancing New Zealand’s national and international human rights promises. He shared his views about when and how human rights should be considered/included in the policy-making process, and how they can help officials design effective, robust, inclusive policies and ensure government Te Tiriti obligations are taken seriously and issues of equity are addressed.



  • 25 May 2021
  • 2021
  • Human Rights
  • Public Service
  • Wellington

System Leadership - What is it and how do you do it?

IPANZ President Liz MacPherson facilitated a conversation with Iona Holsted, Secretary of Education and Vicky Robertson, Secretary for the Environment, about system leadership - what it is, why it is important, what it means?

  • 18 May 2021
  • 2021
  • Collaboration
  • Leadership
  • Public Service
  • Stewardship
  • Wellington

Climate Action for Aotearoa

The Climate Change Commission recently delivered its first package of advice to Government. In this address to IPANZ members, Dr Rod Carr, Chairperson, Climate Change Commission shared with IPANZ members the role the public service plays in delivering against this advice.

  • 28 Apr 2021
  • 2021
  • Climate Change
  • Public Service
  • Sustainability
  • Wellington

New Professionals - Meet the Chiefs Breakfast with Julie Read

The IPANZ New Professionals hosted our first Meet the Chiefs session for 2021! And we started off with a bang with Julie Read from the Serious Fraud Office.

  • 21 Apr 2021
  • 2021
  • Leadership
  • New Professionals
  • Public Service
  • Wellington

Productivity and the Public Sector

IPANZ hosted Dr Ganesh Nana, Chair of the Productivity Commission for a lunchtime session about public sector productivity. You can view his presentation slides here...

  • 12 Apr 2021
  • 2021
  • Productivity
  • Productivity
  • Public Service
  • Wellbeing
  • Wellington

Navigating Global Challenges - An Address by Laura Clarke, British High Commissioner

IPANZ and NZIIA were delighted to host the British High Commissioner to New Zealand, Laura Clarke for this event in Auckland. Ms Clarke spoke of the global challenges ahead and how the UK and New Zealand can work together on shared goals such as tackling climate change and rebuilding from COVID-19.

  • 08 Apr 2021
  • 2021
  • Auckland

Looking Back, Looking Forward - Pandemic Management

Michael Baker, Professor of Public Health at the University of Otago spoke with IPANZ members about New Zealand's response to the COVID-19 pandemic - looking back at the management of the pandemic, but also looking forward to the readiness of our system for what might come next.

  • 25 Mar 2021
  • 2021
  • Crisis Response
  • Public Service
  • Science
  • Wellington

Leadership, Co-ordination and Collaboration Across Government

In March 2020 the New Zealand public sector faced one of its toughest challenges -it's response to COVID-19. The response is ongoing, and reflecting the impact of the virus and its impacts on all New Zealanders, touches all parts of the public sector. In this seminar, Cheryl Barnes, Deputy Chief Executive, COVID-19 Response Group, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet discusses her experience working on the cross-government response and sharing her thoughts of what worked well, what didn't, and the lessons learnt.

  • 19 Mar 2021
  • 2021
  • Collaboration
  • Crisis Response
  • Public Service
  • Wellington

NP Social Event

IPANZ New Professionals held its first catch-up event of the year at Foxglove on the 17th of March. It was a great opportunity for young professionals from the public sector, as well as some public sector 'adjacent' young professionals to mix and mingle, form connections and get to know what different workplaces and roles are like.

  • 17 Mar 2021
  • 2021
  • New Professionals
  • Public Service
  • Wellington

The Dilemmas of Regulating the Internet

In this lunchtime event Dr Peter Thompson, Associate Professor in the Media and Communication Programme at Victoria University of Wellington, and Jared Mullen, Director Digital Safety, Te Tari Taiwhenua - Department of Internal Affairs shared their views on the complexities of regulating the internet and what the public service is doing in this area.

  • 25 Feb 2021
  • 2021
  • Public Service
  • Social Media
  • Technology
  • Wellington

2021 IPANZ Annual Address with Hon Grant Robertson

The Minister of Finance Hon Grant Robertson, delivered the 2021 IPANZ Annual Address at the Beehive Thursday 18 February, talking about the Government’s priorities for the year.

  • 23 Feb 2021
  • 2021
  • Budget
  • Public Service
  • Wellington

IPANZ End of Year Event

On Thursday 10 December 2020 IPANZ held its Annual End of Year Event. Our panelists Colin James, Tracy Watkins and Atawhai Tibble were tasked with looking ahead to 2021 and sharing their radical ideas for improving Public Sector performance.

  • 14 Dec 2020
  • 2020
  • Public Service
  • Wellington

Policy and Pizza

This hands-on workshop provided attendees the opportunity to apply two of the Policy Project tools and learn more about how to use them in their day-to-day work to build their skills and policy craft.

    This workshop was delivered by The Policy Project, in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

    • 07 Dec 2020
    • 2020
    • New Professionals
    • Policy Advice
    • Wellington