POSTPONED - CREATE Symposium 2026

POSTPONED

The CREATE Symposium 2026 has been postponed. We'll be sharing a new date and format soon.

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Thanks for your patience and ongoing support.

Harness the power of COLLABORATION

Shared Vision, Shared Value, Collective Impact

The CREATE Symposium is brought to you by Ngā Toi Creative Hawke’s Bay in partnership with Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Inc and supported by Creative New Zealand.

The CREATE Symposium returns to Hawke's Bay with a programme built around the one thing regional New Zealand needs most right now - COLLABORATION.

There is a moment at most regional events when someone uses the word "collaboration" and the room nods politely, then moves on. Everyone agrees it matters. Nobody quite agrees on what to do next.

The CREATE Symposium 2026 is designed to push past that moment.

Coming to the Havelock North Function Centre on Thursday 13 August, the symposium is hosted by Ngā Toi Creative Hawke's Bay and Ngati Kahungunu Inc, with support from Creative New Zealand. The kaupapa is clear: bring together organisations from

across regional New Zealand to feel connected, get inspired, and explore what collaboration actually looks like in practice.

This year's theme lands at exactly the right time. Regional New Zealand is under pressure. Businesses are managing rising costs and thinning margins. Creative organisations are competing harder for funding. Community groups are doing more with less.

The instinct in tough times is often to pull inward, protect your patch, and focus on survival. The argument being made at CREATE is the opposite: that the tight times are precisely when collaboration becomes most valuable, and most urgent.

The CREATE Symposium will bring together leaders in the creative, business and community sectors, innovators and connectors from across Aotearoa to collaborate, inspire, empower and explore all things CREATE-ive.

Our Keynotes

As one of our most humble and prominent innovators and creatives in Aotearoa, David Trubridge, will bring fresh perspectives on regenerative creative practice and challenge our thinking as we embark on a bold aspirational future for the next generation.

Dr. Jeremy MacLeod (Ngāti Kahungunu) is a leader in Māori language revitalisation and community development. His collaborative work reflects his deep commitment to preserving and promoting te reo Māori and mātauranga Māori across Aotearoa.

Jeremy will lead us on an inspiring journey through his transformative programmes that connect language, culture, and wellbeing. His work ensures future generations can engage with and sustain the richness of te reo Māori.

Collaboration in Action: The Profit Unleashed: Shining the light on local talent 

If you haven't been to an Unleashed event before, you're in for something different.

The Profit Unleashed is a live business event series that has sold out seven consecutive events across Hawke's Bay. Hosted by The Profit editor Damon Harvey and wine writer and entrepreneur Yvonne Lorkin, it's built around one simple idea: get

extraordinary people in a room, ask the questions no one else asks, and see what happens.

The format is candid, on-stage interviews with leaders, innovators and creatives who've done the work. Past guests have included filmmaker Charlie Wallace, netball legend Irene van Dyk and Hamish Pinkham. No panels reading from notes. No polished

keynote slides. Just honest conversation, a lot of energy and the occasional moment that stops the room.

This edition features acclaimed New Zealand film and television producer Emma Slade, founder of Velvet Moss. With credits including Uproar, Come to Daddy, Nude Tuesday and Mister Organ, Emma has built a reputation for bold, internationally resonant

storytelling that champions distinctive Aotearoa voices. She'll be joined by further special guests to be announced.

The partnership with CREATE Symposium is no accident. Unleashed was built on the same premise: that the right people, in the right room, with a genuine willingness to be open, produce outcomes that no organisation can manufacture alone.

Come curious. You won't leave the same way you arrived.

For more about The Profit Unleashed: https://www.theprofit.co.nz/the-profit-unleashed-biz-events/

What to expect

It will be hands-on with Masterclasses and Tap into the Expert roundtables led by local innovators, creatives and experts in their fields to share knowledge and insights on the transformative power of collaborating for collective impact.  

The event offers the opportunity for networking, sharing entrepreneurial stories, creative solutions to the big issues we all face and highlighting the benefits of weaving our collective regional strengths to ensure we thrive and flourish as a region.