Event at a glance
8 September 2026
Venue: Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre
Organiser: Aotearoa AI Summit
What this summit is
The Aotearoa AI Summit is a major gathering for New Zealand’s artificial-intelligence community. The 2026 edition focused on turning national ambition into practical, responsible and enduring impact for people, business and government.
The 2026 edition
8–9 September 2026
Two days of programming in the Pacific/Auckland time zone.
Wellington
Tākina Wellington Convention and Exhibition Centre.
The national AI community
Business leaders, researchers, policymakers, investors, founders and AI professionals came together.
Organisers
The summit was created by AI Forum New Zealand and Tech New Zealand.
Core themes
Infrastructure and sovereign capability
Investment, digital independence and the foundations for New Zealand’s AI development.
Trust and social licence
Public acceptance, privacy, inclusion and responsible AI design.
The future of work
Workforce transformation and better human–AI collaboration for productivity.
The technology frontier
Agentic systems, robotics and quantum computing were discussed alongside practical adoption.
What the programme covered
The official programme included keynotes, panels, conversations about AI’s role in Aotearoa, research perspectives, practical case studies, networking and discussion about choosing the right use cases and strengthening data foundations.
What to do now
Explore the 2026 programme
Review the talks, themes and practical questions raised at the completed summit.
Open the organiser materials
Check official updates, photographs and partner information.
Register interest for 2027
Subscribe for updates while the organisers prepare the next edition.
Official website
2026 status, organisers, highlights and 2027 interest registration.
Open Aotearoa AI Summit ↗2026 programme
Keynotes, panels, themes and the two-day schedule.
Open programme ↗AI Forum New Zealand
The summit’s creator and the national community context.
Open AI Forum NZ ↗Next step
The 2026 summit has ended. Dates and full details for 2027 have not yet been published.
Official sources
Details were checked against the organiser’s official materials.