Te Hui Taituarā brought together close to 300 local government leaders from across Aotearoa from 3-5 September for kōrero, inspiration, and connection in Ōtautahi Christchurch.
The theme Impact Unleashed was brought to life through keynotes and immersive sessions highlighting bold ideas, courageous conversations, and innovative projects across local government in Aotearoa.
The conference, held at The Christchurch Town Hall, started early for some with Chief Executive and Leaders forums on Wednesday 3 September. The forums gave local government leaders the opportunity to dive straight in with their peers and discuss some of the big issues facing their communities.
On Thursday the conference opened with a mihi whatakau followed by a keynote from Ben Bateman, CEO of Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu, who shared iwi perspectives on leadership and partnership. (Download keynote)
Economist Shamubeel Eaqub followed with a challenging session on the fracturing of society and politics globally and here in New Zealand focusing on the task ahead of those in local government to earn back the trust of communities. (Download keynote)
In the afternoon, Eteroa Lafaele brought humour and energy to her keynote, sharing her journey from being unseen in corporate New Zealand to co-founding Fibre Fale to build Pacific digital and AI capability. She left delegates with three powerful challenges: see the unseen, choose self-determination, and build ripples not just results. (Download keynote)
Thursday ended with a splash of colour and style at the ‘Bright’ themed Conference Dinner.
Friday opened with Gavin Jones CBE, who drew on UK case studies to show what happens when councils fail. His advice was clear: never be complacent, strong leaders ask for help, build a culture of accountability, and avoid unrealistic visions for change. (Download keynote)
The final keynote came from Christina Benty, a former Canadian mayor and in her words ‘a recovering politician’, who explored the idea of anti-fragile leadership. Christina focused on stress and the absolute need for recovery. Her key lessons included that stress and fear are contagious, “doing more with less” is a myth, and councils should be proud to tell their stories. She closed her talk with a song and dance, getting the audience up and dancing with her! (Download keynote)
Alongside the keynotes delegates also got a closer look at council case studies of impactful projects through immersive sessions focused on the Pacific, arts and culture, the environment, mana whenua, technology and community engagement.
We were also fortunate to have Mike McRoberts as our host. Despite a busy week launching his new book and making headlines himself for being targeted in an email hack, Mike guided us seamlessly through the two days with his warmth and professionalism.
Te Hui Taituarā offered practical learning, knowledge sharing, lasting connections, and plenty of inspiration for the work ahead.
Thank you to all our speakers, sponsors, and delegates for making the conference a success – we look forward to seeing you again in 2026!
