Remuneration Matters.

Beyond 2026: Strategic Remuneration & Benefits for the Evolving Workforce
Cathy Hendry, Managing Director for Strategic Pay

Cathy Hendry will set the scene for our Summit with an opening address exploing the latest remuneration and benefits trends and forecasts for 2026 and beyond, equipping you with a proactive strategy for the evolving talent landscape.

Cathy will also help you to understand the top challenges HR professionals are facing and discover how organisations are adapting their total rewards strategies to attract, retain, and motivate their workforce in the years to come.

 About Cathy

Beyond One-Size-Fits-All: Designing a Total Rewards Strategy that Fits
Emma Le Grice, Specialist in Performance and Reward, Reward Evolution Limited

Great Total Rewards Strategies don’t happen by accident - they are thoughtfully designed to reflect what makes your organisation unique.

This session explores how to create Reward Principles that reflect your organisation’s values and priorities, and how those principles can guide the development of a Total Rewards Strategy that truly fits your organisation.

We’ll also cover how to take a fresh look at your current rewards and remuneration approach. Where do you start? What should you review first? And what quick improvements can make a real difference? 

Through practical examples and simple ideas, this session will help you identify opportunities to strengthen your total rewards offering and ensure it supports both your people and your organisational goals.

 About Emma

Case Study: Implementing a new remuneration structure
Omima Alsafwani, People and Culture Director at Flo and Frankie

Omima will present Flow and Frankie's implementation of a new remuneration structure.  

Pay Equity After the Reset: What Leaders Need to Know Now
Douglas Reid, Group Manager Reward and Analytics, Genesis Energy

Recent changes to New Zealand’s pay‑equity framework have shifted both the rules and the expectations. While some claims have slowed, scrutiny has not.

This session provides senior leaders with a clear, plain‑English understanding of the current pay‑equity environment, what remains high‑risk, and where organisations still need to act proactively. It will help leaders understand how pay‑equity considerations should shape remuneration strategy, workforce planning and long‑term cost management.

 About Douglas

Break

AI and Remuneration: A Practitioner Perspective
Andrew Scales, General Manager Remuneration, Inghams

The use of AI in remuneration processes and decision-making is growing. What are the ways in which we can use AI to add value in remuneration practices and what pitfalls might we need to avoid.

 About Andrew

“What Keeps Us Awake at Night”: A Leader’s Conversation on Pay
Cathy Hendry, Managing Director, Strategic Pay; Ryan Ghisi, Head of People Operations, 2degrees; Jane Stumbles, Chief People Officer, MTF

Join a panel of experienced leaders for a candid conversation on the remuneration challenges organisations are grappling with right now. From the questions they are asked most often to the issues that keep them awake at night, this session will explore the realities of managing pay in a complex environment - while giving participants the chance to raise their own burning questions.

 About Cathy

 About Ryan 

 About Jane
 

The Future of Pay in Aotearoa: What Will Matter Most in the Next Five Years
Melissa Clark-Reynolds

The fundamentals of remuneration in New Zealand are shifting. Transparency, equity, governance and employee expectations are reshaping what “good pay practice” looks like.

This forward‑looking session explores the trends most likely to shape remuneration over the next five years and what senior leaders should be paying attention to now. It will help leaders anticipate change, rather than respond to it too late.

 About Melissa