What does this event cover
Held in two online sessions
24 June 1–5pm and 29 June 8.50am–1pm
This two-day online forum will provide you with practical and current advice for managing major risks and advising those with governance and decision-making responsibility for the risk function.
This forum will cover:
- Practical advice on managing major risks and supporting governance decision-making
- Key insights on risk governance and navigating local government reforms
- Using climate scenarios to manage uncertainty and build long-term resilience
- Cybersecurity risks, including penetration testing and critical infrastructure obligations
- Applications of AI in councils, including tools, opportunities, and risk management
- Developments and challenges in the insurance landscape for councils
- Embedding risk appetite into governance and day-to-day decision-making
This forum will be interactive, with discussions, breakout sessions, and opportunities for sharing tools and views with a range of other practitioners.
Whether you are a specialist risk manager or someone with an interest in a particular risk and mitigation, this event is for you!
Note: The programme below represents that confirmed by Taituarā at the time of writing (April 2026). We make every effort but cannot guarantee that the programme advertised below will be the programme delivered ‘on the day’ due to factors outside our control. We also reserve the right to amend the programme should changing circumstances dictate.
Technical requirements and pre-preparation
This is an online event. To maximise engagement attendees will need an operative webcam and to have it on at all times throughout the Forum. You’ll also need a working microphone to participate fully in the sessions on AI, reforms and risk appetite.
This session will also be delivered partially through online breakout groups and in pairs. Accessing these will require that you have the Zoom app downloaded on the device that you will use to attend. Attendees who log in via a web browser will be unable to participate in these sessions.
We advise attendees to ensure that they are able to meet the technical requirements well in advance of the Forum. No refunds will be made to attendees who register and cannot meet the requirements.
Attendees will get best value (and support others to get best value) from the interactive sessions if they undertake the recommended pre-event preparation.
Programme overview
Wed 24 Jun 2026 1:00 pm - Day 1
1.00pm Welcome
Raymond Horan, Chief Advisor, Taituarā
1.10pm Wellington City’s Insurance Journey
Representatives of Wellington City Council and Aon TBC
Wellington City Council has developed an insurance roadmap that considers options available, including self-insurance, to address some of the issues they face with the cost and availability of insurance of community assets. This session also includes some reflections from an insurance provider and some learning from recent interactions with the London market.
2.00pm A word from our sponsor: Generative AI and Public Sector Risk Management
Josh Lindsay: Partner, Transformation, Design and Delivery and Juanita Victor: Partner Risk Services PwC
This session will demonstrate how generative AI is being applied in practice across New Zealand public sector organisations to strengthen risk management. Using real case studies, we will show how AI can improve decision quality, consistency, and operational resilience, while also highlighting key risks and governance considerations. Attendees will leave with practical ideas they can apply within their own organisations.
This will be followed by small breakout group sessions that invite you to reflect on where and how AI based tools are being used in your local authorities and how the risks are being managed.
We advise attendees to come to the Forum prepared with a list of areas, systems or applications that draw on AI, and what measures have been taken to manage the associated risks. These will be captured and fed back live as an event deliverable.
PwC is a principal partner of Taituarā.
We will need a means of capturing feedback live – so a ten-fingered typist and possibly something as simple as PowerPoint.
3.40pm Session break
4.00pm Climate Scenarios
Helen Mahoney, Senior Manager Sustainable Finance, Local Government Funding Agency; and Alison Howard, Manager Climate Change Response, Wellington City Council
During 2025 the LGFA and a group of local authorities developed a set of climate scenarios designed specifically for the local government sector. These scenarios present science-based, plausible but challenging futures that can be used as a practical tool to help local government navigate uncertainty, stress-test decisions, and build long-term resilience.
This is a session that focusses on the scenarios and how risk managers might use them.
4.50pm Looking forward to Day Two
Mon 29 Jun 2026 8:50 am - Day 2
8.50am Welcome
8.55am LG Reform – Next Steps for Risk Managers
Session led by Bruce Robertson, Managing Director, RBR Limited
At the time of writing, there are something like two dozen pieces of legislation in progress or expected with direct impact on the local government sector. Included in this are major reforms to resource management, building consenting, emergency management, and (of course) the simplifying local government programme. This is a session that will focus on actions and the things that risk managers and those responsible for governance of risk management rather than the reforms themselves.
We advise attendees to come to the Forum prepared with a list of issues or concerns that they and their risk governors have about reforms from a risk perspective and (more importantly) what steps or actions they’ve taken. These will be captured and fed back live as an event deliverable.
10.30am Session Break
10.45am Risk Appetite in Practice
Session led by by Bruce Robertson, Managing Director, RBR Limited
Previous risk forums have focussed on risk governance and defining risk appetite, but what happens next? This session focuses on how risk managers might help their organisations to embed risk appetite both into the ongoing governance of the risk function and into the day to day decision-making and service delivery.
To be followed by: Tool Swap Speed Dating
You’ll be paired with six randomly selected attendees and have five minutes with each to swap tools, techniques or practices. To prepare, we advise attendees to consider the tools, techniques or practices in use in your council to keep the assessment of risk appetite in front of the risk governors, or to ensure that risk appetite features in the advice officers give and the decisions they make.
To get most value from this session you might want to work on an ‘elevator pitch’ for 2-3 tools, techniques or practices in your own council.
A good way to build up your stock of tools and techniques and make new contacts with other risk management professionals.
12.10pm What Should Risk Managers be Looking for in a Penetration Test?
Murray Wills, General Manager Consulting, Liverton Security Limited
A presentation focussing on the purpose of penetration testing and what results or assurance the risk managers might look for in a penetration test.
With signals that the Government is about to strengthen the legal obligations on directors for cyber-security of critical assets to include duties under the Health and Safety at Work legislation, this session is both critical and topical.
12.50pm Summing Up: The Things to Take Home
Session led by Raymond Horan, Chief Advisor, Taituarā
And to finish, time for some personal reflections on what you’ve learnt over the Forum, and what your next steps are, both on your own and with a buddy.
And summing up from the event.
1.05pm Session Close
With support from
Your facilitators and guest speakers
Raymond Horan
Raymond re-joined Taituarā in June 2014 as Sector Improvement Manager, before commencing his current role as Chief Advisor at Taituarā. He has spent most of the last 20 years in local government related roles, most recently with the Department of Internal Affairs.
He describes his job as two-thirds providing assistance to the local government sector and one-third providing advice to central government on local government matters. His ambition is to help develop a Local Government Act that doesn’t require changes every 18 months. He asks that you wish him well with this task.
Juanita Victor
Juanita Victor is a Partner in PwC New Zealand’s Risk Services practice, specialising in governance, risk management,
and internal audit. With more than 20 years’ experience, she works with local government and other public sector
organisations across New Zealand, helping leaders navigate risk, strengthen control environments, and make confident
decisions in an increasingly complex and fast-changing world.
Juanita brings practical insight into how emerging technologies, including generative AI, are reshaping risk management
and organisational resilience. She works with organisations to understand both the opportunities and risks of innovation,
and how governance and controls can evolve to support the future operating environment
Bruce Robertson
Bruce is an established governance and risk expert within the public sector with active membership of audit and risk committees and directorships. His practice also includes consulting work and investigations. His advisory work covers strategy, effective decision making, value for money and performance, organisational and functional “health checks”, and how clients can make collaborative frameworks “real”. Bruce’s work has a strong focus on bringing together the financial and asset management disciplines within organisations to drive planning and performance plus deliver value for money. Bruce is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.
Chris Smith
Chris Smith is the Systems Manager at Tauranga Airport, leading risk management, business continuity, emergency management, and supporting the Safety Management System (SMS) that integrates safety, operational performance, and regulatory compliance. She brings strong experience working across local government and emergency services, including Tauranga City Council, Health New Zealand, and St John, supporting effective multi‑agency coordination and readiness. Chris is Chair of the St John Area Committee, a member of the Connected Communities Governance Board, and serves on the Central Regional Trust Board. Her work focuses on governance, organisational resilience, and pragmatic, risk‑based approaches that support both safety outcomes and sustainable operations.
