May has been one of our busiest months ever, and it’s been a great reminder of how fast AI capability is moving across Aotearoa. We launched the AI Blueprint Refresh with fantastic feedback, hosted a packed AI and Creativity Summit across Auckland and Wellington, and celebrated our Aotearoa AI 1 Minute Film Festival with our partners NZonAir, Te Māngai Pāho, NZ Film Commission and Kōawa Studios.
And then there was Techweek, with a full calendar of AI events, including three we helped facilitate: AI Solutioneering, Deloitte Connect, and the TW26 x Xero webinar on bridging the confidence gap for Kiwi business owners.
May isn’t over yet. Read on for what’s coming up, plus key wrap-ups and opportunities to get involved.
AI and the state of the digital market in Aotearoa
Supported by Adobe, join us on 29 May at Spectra (PwC Tower, Auckland) for AI and the state of the digital market in Aotearoa, a practical session grounded in Adobe’s latest research. Hear from Scott King (Principal Strategist, Growth and Innovation, Adobe ANZ) on what the findings reveal about digital capability, customer expectations, and where organisations are investing. This will be followed by a panel discussion moderated by Madeline Newman, featuring Scott alongside Kari Jones (FMA) and Ming Cheuk (elementX) and will conclude with networking and refreshments.
Aotearoa AI Summit 2026
Kia whakapuāwai | Agents of Change, Powered by Curiosity
Super Saver tickets are now on sale for the Aotearoa AI Summit 2026, moving to Wellington for the first time and expanding to a two-day programme at Tākina. This year’s Summit is shaped by five themes reflecting the biggest questions and opportunities for Aotearoa New Zealand: AI infrastructure and capability, social licence and trust, workforce transformation and AI-augmented productivity, frontier technologies and what’s next, and real-world adoption, design and implementation.
Super Saver tickets close 3 July.
Aotearoa AI Hackathon Festival 2026
AI For Good. Building solutions that matter.
We create safe places for people of all abilities to build AI solutions that make a real difference, aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals of People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership. In 2025 we welcomed more than 400 participants from across Aotearoa, so whether you’re a complete novice, a student, designer, data practitioner, or an experienced developer, you’re welcome.
With thanks to our sponsors Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, the University of Waikato, Seen Ventures, and NVIDIA, plus training via our dedicated portal and a growing network of hosts. Current host venues include academyEX, AUT City and South, Unitec (Auckland), Te Ipu o Te Mahara | Artificial Intelligence Institute at the University of Waikato (Hamilton), AWS (Wellington), EPIC Innovation and CanterburyTech (Christchurch), plus Mission Ready online.
Registrations open later this week, stay tuned.
More info →
AI and Creativity Summit Wrap-up
AI and Creativity Summit 2026 brought together creatives, technologists, educators and media leaders in Auckland and Wellington to ask better questions about how AI is reshaping creative work in Aotearoa. Across sessions on the future of news, truth and trust, copyright and attribution, social licence, and AI in creative practice, speakers explored both opportunity and tension as tools move into everyday workflows. Highlights included the One Minute AI Film Festival showcase and audience vote, practical stories from creators using AI thoughtfully, and clear-eyed discussion on provenance, verification, and capability building. Curiosity led the way, and responsibility set the standard.
AI Blueprint for Aotearoa Refresh
The refreshed Blueprint sets a clear direction to 2030 for innovative, responsible and inclusive AI in New Zealand. It outlines five strategic pillars to grow capability, lift adoption and manage risk, build talent, and strengthen our global reach, with new workstreams on Social Licence (trust, transparency and AI literacy) and Sustainable AI.
Read and download the Blueprint →
Read Peter Griffin’s Business News article →
Upskilling and talent creation
One of the key findings in our AI Blueprint Refresh is the need to lift AI literacy across the full spectrum, from absolute beginners to advanced developers. If you want a practical, fast way to build capability, the Aotearoa AI Hackathon Festival 2026 is a great place to learn by doing alongside others.
We are also seeing strong momentum from industry. Last week, we spoke with James Bergin from Xero about their new AI Bootcamp initiative with academyEX and ASB Bank. We also worked with the Auckland Business Chamber, Deloitte, AWS, 2degrees, the University of Auckland, and many of our members on the hugely successful AI Solutioneering event, providing practical help for businesses to adopt AI safely and responsibly.
For working professionals wanting structured learning, the University of Auckland’s Applied AI for Engineers (UoA Online) is a 15-week, 15-point, 100% online course focused on applied capability in real workplace contexts, including improving processes, supporting decisions, and communicating with stakeholders.
Coming up we have our Sustainable AI Series coming to Auckland on 30 June at MinterEllisonRuddWatts. Having launched this series at our AI and Creativity Summit in Wellington as part of our AI Blueprint Refresh, this conversation is hotting up! Registrations open next week!
Ngā mihi nui,
Madeline Newman
Executive Director, AI Forum New Zealand