Programme
9:00am – 9:05am | Welcome
Te Radar, Master of Ceremonies
A quick orientation and introduction to the day’s theme: Best of Breed HR Tech: Building an effective HR tech ecosystem
9:05am – 9:45am | Opening Keynote | The Rise of Tailored Tech
Frances Valintine (CNZM), Founder and Board Director, academyEX
As technology rapidly evolves, we're seeing a shift from rigid, one-size-fits-all systems to flexible, custom-built solutions. With the rise of AI, robotic process automation (RPA), and low-code/no-code platforms, creating tailored software is more accessible than ever, empowering teams to solve real problems in real time.
This keynote takes a global view of these trends, setting the scene for a day focused on HR technology by exploring how broader tech shifts are making it easier than ever to build and integrate solutions that truly fit your organisation’s needs.
9:40am – 10:20am | Best of Breed: What It Really Means and How to Evaluate It
Beryl Oldham, Managing Director, Complete Learning Solutions
What does “best of breed” actually mean—and is it right for your organisation? This session explores how to assess whether individual best-in-class systems are preferable to full-suite solutions. Learn what to look for when evaluating platforms, key integration considerations, and how to balance user experience with functionality, scalability, and cost.
10:20am – 10:50am | Morning Tea Break
Time to stretch, recharge, and reflect.
10:50am – 11:30am | Getting Ready for What’s Next: Tech Prep That Pays Off
Jacinta Schultz, Technology Transformation Lead, HRNZ
Before jumping into new HR tech—or even improving what you already have—preparation is everything. This session offers a practical guide to getting your systems, data, and processes in shape. Learn how to:
- Audit and clean your people data
- Standardise job titles and reporting lines
- Identify your “source of truth”
- Map core HR processes
- Maximise what you already have when budgets are tight
With real-world tips and a checklist to take back to your team, this session helps set your future tech projects up for success.
11:30am – 12:10pm | Making the Business Case for HR Tech: ROI & Results
Matthew Needham, speaker, consultant and award-winning CFO
Whether you’re upgrading systems, switching vendors, or better using existing tools—success hinges on a strong business case.
This session provides a framework for:
- Defining success metrics and ROI
- Communicating the value of HR tech in language that resonates with execs, finance, and IT
- Aligning investments with broader business goals
Learn how to pitch tech initiatives with confidence—so HR is seen as a strategic investor, not just a system user.
12:10pm – 1:10pm | Lunch Break (60 minutes)
Enjoy a proper pause before diving back in.
1:10pm – 1:50pm | Vendor Demonstrations: Choose Your Tech Focus & Problem to Solve
Ready to explore practical solutions to your biggest HR challenges?
In this interactive 40-minute session, you’ll choose one of several live breakout rooms—each hosted by a specialist vendor addressing a real-world pain point many HR teams face.
Whether you're dealing with outdated processes, lack of data, or new workforce demands, this is your chance to see best-of-breed tech in action, ask questions, and connect with experts who can help.
You choose what matters most to you—then go deep with the tech designed to solve it.
Tip: Bring your team and split across rooms to cover more ground. You will receive the recording of all the other sessions after the event.
Choose the tech focus and challenge you identify with most to view the Vendor Products providing demonstrations:
Attraction & Selection:
Need to enable remote hiring at scale?
Payroll, Time & Attendance:
Struggling to manage complex shift-based workforces with varying contracts, awards, rules, rosters, payroll, and compliance?
Learning & Career Pathways:
Dealing with skill gaps and talent shortages needing personalised employee development and career pathways?
Organisational Development:
Lacking data insights for proactive workforce planning and retention? Or Perhaps manual, repetitive HR tasks slowing down your smaller-sized organisation with no tech in place?
Employee Experience & Wellbeing:
Experiencing low employee engagement, burnout, or mental health challenges?
1:50pm – 2:20pm | Case Study Snap: Building a Best-of-Breed HR Tech Ecosystem
Explore how one organisation successfully implemented multiple connected HR systems to support their end-to-end employee experience. From system selection to integration and change management, this quickfire session offers practical insights into how to create a cohesive tech environment without overwhelming your people or processes.
2:20pm | Summit Close and Reflections
A short wrap-up to thank speakers and attendees, share key insights from the day, and offer inspiration for your next step in HR tech leadership.