Aotearoa AI Summit 2026

The Aotearoa AI Summit 2026 is New Zealand's flagship artificial intelligence gathering, held over two days on 8–9 September 2026 at the Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre on Cable Street. Convened by the AI Forum of New Zealand, it brings together the country's AI community — industry leaders, researchers, technologists and innovators — to explore the latest advances and, just as importantly, the real-world application of AI across New Zealand's economy. The 2026 theme, Kia whakapuāwai | Agents of Change, Powered by Curiosity, signals a focus on agentic AI and the people putting it to use, and frames the event around practical change rather than hype.

A national summit, now in the capital

For 2026 the Summit moves to Wellington for the first time and expands to a two-day format, a notable step up for an event that has become New Zealand's essential annual AI date. Holding it in the capital, at the purpose-built Tākina centre on the city's waterfront, gives the gathering a larger stage and places it close to the country's public institutions, research bodies and a growing cluster of technology firms. For a market the size of New Zealand, a dedicated national AI summit of this scale is significant: it concentrates an otherwise dispersed community into one room and helps set the agenda for how the country adopts AI responsibly and competitively.

What is on the programme

The two days combine keynotes, panel discussions and hands-on workshops, spanning a deliberately broad sweep of the field. Sessions are expected to cover AI ethics and responsible use, innovation and entrepreneurship, and the practical business of deploying AI, alongside emerging technologies such as agentic systems and generative AI. A defining feature is the sector lens: rather than treating AI in the abstract, the Summit highlights how the technology is reshaping the industries that matter most to New Zealand specifically.

• Healthcare — diagnostics, clinical workflows and improving access to care
• Finance — risk modelling, automation and customer services
• Agriculture — a cornerstone of the New Zealand economy, where AI, sensing and data support productivity and sustainability on farms
• Public services and the wider economy, including the governance and trust questions that come with adoption

Who should attend

The Summit is built for a wide cross-section of the AI ecosystem: business leaders evaluating where AI fits in their organisations, technologists and data professionals building the systems, researchers presenting and debating ideas, and founders working at the frontier. The AI Forum's role as a neutral, membership-based body means the event is oriented toward collaboration and capability-building across the whole community rather than any single vendor's pitch. Its Māori AI advisory work also gives the Summit a distinctive Aotearoa perspective on inclusive and responsible AI — a viewpoint that is increasingly central to how the country frames the technology and one that is rare on the international circuit. The two-day length leaves more room for the workshops and side conversations that turn a conference into working relationships.

Regional context and why it matters

New Zealand is comparatively under-represented on the global AI conference circuit, so the Aotearoa AI Summit fills a genuine gap as the country's central convening point for the field. It connects local practitioners to global trends — agentic AI, responsible deployment, sector-specific applications — while keeping the conversation grounded in New Zealand's own priorities, from agricultural productivity to the ethical questions that come with rapid adoption. The Summit also sits alongside the AI Forum's wider activity, including the Aotearoa AI Awards and an AI hackathon, which together build a national pipeline of talent and recognition. For anyone in or near the Asia-Pacific region with an interest in how a smaller, advanced economy approaches AI thoughtfully, it is a worthwhile and accessible event.

How to attend

The Summit runs from roughly 8:00am to 5:00pm on each of the two days at Tākina in Wellington, and registration is handled through the official Aotearoa AI Summit website. The detailed agenda and speaker line-up are published there as they are confirmed, so prospective attendees should check the official site for the current programme, session times and ticketing before booking travel. Given the move to a two-day Wellington format and the event's standing as the country's main AI gathering, early registration is advisable for those travelling from outside the region.