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Associations Matter Conference and Exhibition

Date: Sunday – Tuesday 3 – 5 August 2025

Location:  Grand Millennium Auckland

Your Boarding Pass to Belonging Starts Here

This programme is your guide to two days of connection, learning, and shared purpose — a chance to celebrate the powerful role associations play in shaping communities, and to explore how we continue that journey together.

Sunday 3 August 2025

Pre- Conference (Optional, additional cost)
5:30 Delegate & Exhibitor Dinner
An informal networking dinner to connect with peers ahead of the conference, this is for people arriving the night before.

Monday 4 August 2025

7:30 Breakfast & Exhibition Networking
 Enjoy an open-grazing breakfast with peers and connect with suppliers ahead of the conference.

8:45 Conference Opening
 NZSAE Chair opens the conference. Rt Hon Chris Hipkins shares insights on leadership and national direction.

9:15 Keynote Speaker
 (Speaker to be confirmed)

10:00 Association Speaker
 (Speaker to be confirmed)

10:30 Morning Tea & Networking Break

11:00 Concurrent Learning Sessions
 1 Policy Impacts: When Government Changes Disrupt Your Sector
 2 AI in Action: A Case Study for Associations

11:35 Concurrent Learning Sessions
 1 Planning for the Unexpected: Succession Strategies
 2 Learn Your Pepeha: A Hands-On Te Reo Māori Workshop

12:10 Concurrent Learning Sessions
 1 Navigating Employment Status in Associations: Employees, Contractors, and the Grey Zone
 2 Cut Through the Noise: Communicating What Really Matters

12:40 Lunch & Exhibition Networking

1:45 Keynote Speaker
Leadership Begins with Self-Leadership – Enable Your Superpower

2:45 Session: Panel Discussion – Diversifying Revenue: Beyond Membership Dues

3:30 Afternoon Tea & Networking

4:00 Role-Based Breakout Discussions
This is your chance to sit with others in a similar role and have a real conversation about the stuff that matters most in your day-to-day work.

5:00 | Conference Wrap-Up – Day One Reflections

6:30 Your Boarding Pass to Belonging

Conference Dinner – Motat

The Golden Era of Association: Honouring the Journey, Shaping the Destination

Join us for a fun and stylish evening as we celebrate the rich history of associations and the journeys we’re still on together. With a vintage travel theme, good food, and great company.

    Tuesday 5 August 2025

    8:30 The Situation Room: Cybersecurity & Data Protection for Associations
    Explore real cyber threats, data protection rules, and member trust – with live scenarios and fixes.

    10:00 Morning Tea & Networking Break

    10:30 Panel: Digital Transformation in Action – Reinventing the Association Model

    11:30 Concurrent Learning Session
     1 Mastering AI: Safe, Ethical, and Effective Use in Associations.
     2 Governance for Today’s Associations: Practical and Principled.

    12:15 Lunch & Exhibition Networking

    1:00 Deep Dive Roundtables: Turning Insight into Action
     Three x 20-minute expert-led table discussions: insurance, digital transformation, PR, or crisis response. Choose your topics. Speakers from this mornings sessions.

    2:00 Keynote Speaker
    The Future of Associations in Aotearoa.

    3:00 Farewell Afternoon Tea & Networking

    Executive Leaders’ Forum

    3:30 Culture, Strategy & the Real Work of Leadership (Optional)

    An optional deep-dive for CEOs and C-suite into the cultural foundations of strong associations, strategic leadership, and building teams that thrive.

    5:00 C-suite - conclude with an informal hosted drinks function.


    Your Boarding Pass to Belonging Starts





    New Zealand Society of Association Executives (NZSAE)
    Te Hapori o nga Kaiwhakahaere Hononga o Aotearoa
    Otonga Road
    ROTORUA 3015
    New Zealand 


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