Registration and Networking
7.30AM - 9.15AM
Breakfast Sessions
8.00AM - 9.00AM
FinTech
8.00AM - 9.00AM
FinTech and Open Banking Showcase
Join us to see exciting 5-minute product demos from a range of New Zealand innovators, followed by Q&A.
SESSION SPEAKERS
Regulation
8.00AM - 9.00AM
Workplace Savings
8.00AM - 9.00AM
Beyond KiwiSaver: The Enduring Value of Workplace Savings Schemes Focus
Why Workplace savings schemes continue to matter despite the introduction and dominance of KiwiSaver.
Key discussion points:
- How workplace schemes differ from KiwiSaver.
- Why some employers continue to offer additional savings benefits.
- Workplace savings as part of a broader employee value proposition rather than simply a retirement product
- The role of workplace savings in attracting and retaining talent.
- Whether there is a future for employer-sponsored savings beyond statutory arrangements.
SESSION SPEAKERS
Main Plenary
9.15AM - 10.45AM
Welcome to Day 2
9.15AM - 9.30AM
Following the breakfast sessions, the conference MC will open Day 2 of the FSC26 Conference and introduce Katie Bradford, the MC for the day.
SESSION SPEAKERS
Regulatory Environment and Industry Engagement
9.30AM - 10.00AM
Join us for an engaging discussion with Angus McGregor, Assistant Governor Financial Stability at the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ).
In this session, Angus will discuss the Reserve Bank's role in the regulatory environment and approach to industry engagement.
The conversation will provide an overview of the Reserve Bank's work in safeguarding confidence in New Zealand's financial system.
The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session, offering attendees the opportunity to ask questions and gain deeper insights into financial stability, and the role of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
SESSION SPEAKERS
AI and Financial Services
10.00AM - 10.30AM
Everyone is talking about AI and its enormous potential, but its success depends on trust.
Drawing on new FSC research, this panel session explores how New Zealanders really feel about AI in financial services, revealing why transparency, clear guardrails and meaningful use cases matter as much as the technology itself.
SESSION SPEAKERS
Lightning Talk: FSC Advocacy Focus and Manifesto
10.30AM - 10.45AM
In this focused Lightning Talk, FSC CEO Kirk Hope will discuss with MC Katie Bradford the FSC’s advocacy programme and election year Manifesto, highlighting the key issues and opportunities shaping the financial services sector in New Zealand.
SESSION SPEAKERS
10.45AM - 11.15AM Coffee and Connections
Time to stretch your legs, grab a coffee, network and further explore the expo area.
Breakout Sessions
11.15AM - 12.15PM
Life Insurance
11.15AM - 12.15PM
KiwiSaver and Investment
11.15AM - 12.15PM
Diversity and Inclusion
11.15AM - 12.15PM
Good intentions don’t create inclusion, action does. This session brings diversity and inclusion to life through powerful, real-world case studies that demonstrate how organisations moved beyond strategy to measurable impact. Drawing from a wide range of D&I topics including disability and neurodiversity, accessibility, age inclusion and socio‑economic diversity we’ll explore what actually worked, why it worked, and how these initiatives led to sustained organisational change.
Case studies include lessons from disability employment initiatives (highlighting the reality that 1 in 6 New Zealanders live with a disability) and youth applicant insights revealing intersecting identities such as age, gender, disability, and invisible disability. The session is practical, candid, and outcome-focused, showcasing how evidence-based decisions, lived experience, and courageous leadership have driven meaningful progress. It’s designed to inspire leaders to replicate, adapt, and accelerate change within their own organisations.
Key themes:
- Case studies that translated D&I vision into action
- Disability, neurodiversity, and accessibility as business strengths
- Using data, lived experience, and storytelling to drive buy-in
- Avoiding performative D&I and focusing on outcomes
- Engaging non-traditional voices and audiences
Lunch Sessions
12.15PM - 1.30PM
Mix and mingle over lunch in the expo area, with lunch sessions also running concurrently.
Supervisors Forum
12.20PM - 1.20PM
From oversight to insight: What supervisors are seeing and why it matters
Supervisors sit across multiple entities, giving them a unique view of patterns, emerging risks, and recurring challenges that aren’t always visible within individual organisations. This session will explore what supervisors are seeing across the system, where their focus is landing today, and how those perspectives can help managers respond more effectively.
From liquidity risk and related party transactions to private assets and consumer demand, the panel will share practical insights, highlight common gaps, and discuss how supervisors, industry and regulators can work together to strengthen outcomes.
Empower Women
12.20PM - 1.20PM
The untapped market: learn how founders and innovators design the next big fintech/financial services idea?
Join us to hear from founders, innovators and industry leaders building the next wave of financial services and bridging the gaps others have missed.
Hear them address a research finding identifying a gap in the market, learn from their experiences challenging industry assumptions, as they share their own design thinking: you’ll get to hear how new products, services and experiences that could shape the future of financial services are designed, and help crowdsource new ideas with these leaders.
Breakout Sessions
1.30PM - 2.30PM
In the second of the conference breakout sessions, we are pleased to offer specialist panels covering Health Insurance, Professional Advice and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Health Insurance
1.30PM - 2.30PM
Professional Advice
1.30PM - 2.30PM
Only 28% get Financial Advice, So Who's Influencing the Other 72%?
We often view financial advice through the adviser’s lens yet fewer than one‑in‑three New Zealanders seek advice from a financial adviser in any given year. Recent FMA consumer research shows that while New Zealanders regularly think about their financial situation and see advice as valuable, many lack clarity about what financial advisers do, where to access advice, and what advice covers. Consumers commonly associate advice with budgeting, retirement planning and investing, but also expect guidance on other areas that can often sit outside this model.
At the same time, many New Zealanders access informal and non‑traditional sources of guidance: finfluencers, online communities, AI tools, product providers, and social media particularly among younger generations. Barriers such as affordability concerns, confidence gaps, and uneven engagement across demographics further widen the gap between the advice system and consumer behaviour.
This session explores how New Zealanders consume and act on financial guidance today. Are current advice settings aligned with real consumer needs and behaviours, or are they designed for an advice model that doesn’t match how people make decisions? Drawing on consumer research and industry perspectives, we’ll ask whether a paradigm shift is needed in how advice is defined, delivered, and accessed in New Zealand.
Diversity and Inclusion
1.30PM - 2.30PM
Opening Doors: How You Can Help Women Return to Work and Succeed
What does it really take to re-enter the workforce and how can we better support women on that journey? Facilitated by Vanja Thomas, this dynamic panel brings together Dress for Success leaders, career experts, and clients who have transformed their careers with the organisation’s support.
Through real stories and expert insight, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the barriers women face when returning to work and, more importantly, what you can do about it. Whether it’s mentoring, providing exposure to workplace environments, or advocating for inclusive opportunities, this session offers practical ways to make an immediate impact.
Walk away inspired and equipped to take action in your own workplace, helping amplify confidence, capability, and career progression for women in your community.
2.30PM - 2.45PM Coffee & Connections
Time to stretch your legs, grab a coffee, network and further explore the expo area.
Main Plenary
2.45PM - 3.45PM
The Great Amplify Debate |
2.45PM - 3.30PM
Election campaigns are full of promises. This is where they face scrutiny.
Hear directly from New Zealand's major political parties as they debate the policies, priorities and choices that will shape the future of financial services and the country. Expect informed discussion, robust debate and the opportunity to hear competing visions put to the test live on stage.
Conference Wrap
3.30PM - 3.45PM
Our Conference MC and FSC CEO, Kirk Hope will wrap up the FSC26 Conference: Amplify.
FSC Awards
Pre-dinner Drinks |
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6.30PM - 7.00PM
Enjoy drinks and canapés before the FSC Awards Dinner night begins.
FSC Awards Dinner |
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7.00PM - 9.30PM
We'll be ending the year's Conference on a celebratory note with the annual FSC Awards Dinner, welcoming another round of winners to the stage.
After Dark Drinks Bar + Music |
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9.30PM - MIDNIGHT
After the formalities, continue to share the company of colleagues and peers over drinks and entertainment.
Programme subject to change.
FSC26 Conference Terms and Conditions (February 2026)
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