About our events

The New Zealand Initiative holds events throughout the year to promote debate, disseminate ideas, and connect with our supporters. Our events include public forums, conferences, and debates. We also organise outreach activities with secondary schools, universities, and young professionals.

Public Forums: The Initiative occasionally hosts larger public events with prominent international speakers. These events are a great opportunity to discuss ideas and meet new people in an informal setting.

Member-only Events: Exclusive to members to the Initiative.

Events1Banner

Upcoming Public Forums

Simon Bridges feature2

Members' webinar with Hon Simon Bridges

Hon. Simon Bridges, Leader of the Opposition and chair of Parliament’s Epidemic Response Committee joins us for a webinar to answer your questions. Read more

8 April, 2020
Members webinar
  Member only event
Grant Robertson feature2

A conversation with Hon Grant Robertson

Fiscal policy will be front and centre in this election year. With the Government’s infrastructure package announced earlier this month, the Government has begun laying out the platform on which it will campaign for re-election. Read more

20 March, 2020
Webinar
  Member only event
retreat feature

Members' Retreat 2020

Our Retreat is the chance to discuss social and economic issues with members and bring those issues to the attention of New Zealand’s leading politicians. Please contact Chelsy at chelsy.blair@nzinitiative.org.nz for further information. Read more

12 March, 2020
Auckland
  Member only event
retreatdinner2020 feature2

Members' Retreat Dinner 2020

The New Zealand Initiative is organising a dinner with Dr Bella d'Abrera in Auckland on Thursday 12 March 2020. About the speaker Dr Bella d’Abrera has a BA in History and Spanish from Monash University, an MA in Spanish from the University of St Andrews and a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge. Read more

12 March, 2020
Auckland
  Member only event
Kirk and Oliver rectangle for web

A members' lunch with Kirk Hope, BusinessNZ & Oliver Hartwich, NZ Initiative

As a peak business advocacy group and a public policy think tank, BusinessNZ and The New Zealand Initiative are New Zealand’s pre-eminent business membership organisations that both follow and contribute to New Zealand’s debates. Join us for a lunchtime conversation with their leaders Kirk Hope and Oliver Hartwich on domestic and international challenges. Read more

15 November, 2019
Auckland
  Member only event
Grant Robertson feature

Members' Lunch with Hon Grant Robertson (Wellington)

Fiscal policy has been at the core of the Government’s agenda this year, not least through the recommendations of the Tax Working Group and the first Wellbeing Budget. We are delighted that Minister of Finance Hon. Read more

7 October, 2019
Wellington
  Member only event
VangelisVitalis feature

Members' Lunch with Vangelis Vitalis

In a world characterised by growing protectionism, attacks on the rules-based world order and renewed regional tensions, trade policy has become more challenging. We look forward to discussing the implications for New Zealand with Vangelis Vitalis, MFAT Deputy Secretary and New Zealand’s chief trade negotiator. Read more

22 August, 2019
Auckland
  Member only event
Jonathan Haidt feature

Jonathan Haidt | Moral Psychology in an Age of Outrage (Auckland)

In 2012, US psychologist Jonathan Haidt rose to fame with the publication of his book The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided on Politics and Religion. In its review, The New York Times called Haidt’s book “a landmark contribution to humanity’s understanding of itself.” It has since gained widespread praise from commentators left, right and centre (see here). Read more

1 August, 2019
Auckland
GrantRobertson feature

Members' Lunch - Hon Grant Robertson

Fiscal policy has been at the core of the Government’s agenda this year, not least through the recommendations of the Tax Working Group and the first so-called Wellbeing Budget. We are delighted that Minister of Finance Grant Robertson has accepted our invitation to discuss his policy agenda with our members. Read more

15 July, 2019
Wellington
  Member only event
DiscoverDenmark2019 feature

Discover Denmark: Business Delegation

Denmark is the destination for The New Zealand Initiative’s next business delegation. It follows in the footsteps of our 2017 mission to Switzerland, and it will once again provide opportunities to learn, to be surprised and to connect. Read more

23 June, 2019
Denmark
  Member only event
BarbaraOakley feature

Lecture with Professor Barbara Oakley

Professor Barbara Oakley is the co-creator of the world’s most popular online course: Learning How To Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects, which has helped over 2 million people to improve the way they learn new things. In this event she will be discussing the science behind how we learn, and how we can apply this research in the classroom. Read more

1 May, 2019
Auckland
tomorrows schools feature

Tomorrow's Schools panel discussion

The Faculty of Education at Victoria University of Wellington and the New Zealand Initiative invite you to a moderated discussion involving representatives from the Tomorrow’s Schools Independent Taskforce, academia, schools and boards of trustees. Together we will explore some of the assumptions on which the taskforce has based its findings and some possible consequences of its recommendations, intended and otherwise. Read more

1 April, 2019
Wellington
retreat2019 feature

Members' Retreat 2019

Our Retreat is the chance to discuss social and economic issues with members and bring those issues to the attention of New Zealand’s leading politicians. Please contact Chelsy at chelsy.blair@nzinitiative.org.nz for further information. Read more

21 March, 2019
Auckland
  Member only event

Stay in the loop: Subscribe to updates