GEN NZ Unconference and Workshops 2026

GEN NZ Unconference and Workshops are back again, and it's all happening at Victoria University of Wellington this year!

This unique opportunity to connect and reconnect will be held on Monday, 24 August (Workshops) and Tuesday, 25 August (Unconference) at Victoria University's Rutherford House.

Let's come together kanohi ki te kanohi / face to face and learn from each other about the art and science of entrepreneurship, and how to improve our entrepreneurial ecosystem. Join your ecosystem colleagues and new ones for a barely controlled explosion of entrepreneurial energy.

The Unconference on Tuesday, 25th August, brings together people from all over the country and the various niches in the entrepreneurial ecosystem to collaborate on how we can connect entrepreneurs to the resources and people they need to thrive, locally and globally. At an unconference, you set the agenda - and we’ll be soliciting ideas for sessions closer to the date. We’ll meet in small groups and discuss topics that are of interest on the day. Everyone can contribute to the conversation, and the main idea is to connect with like-minded people with whom you can work together to achieve your common goals. The Unconference sessions will be facilitated, but there won’t be a single “presenter” as such in the sessions.

The Unconference will be preceded by a day of workshops on Monday, 24th August. The workshop sessions will be more traditional conference workshops - led by one or two people, with presentations, each with specific learning outcomes, and feeding into the Unconference sessions the following day.

Our first announced presenters and workshops include:

Monday 24 August 

A day of practical workshops led by people working across Aotearoa’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem. Each workshop will explore a specific topic, provide practical learning opportunities and help spark conversations that can continue into the following day’s Unconference.

AWARDS INFORMATION

Announced Workshops

​

The Quiet Founder Pipeline: Vocational Learners, Succession, and the Next 200,000 Owner-Operators

Dr Mark Bradford & Shane Hastie, Skills Institute

A conversation about the founder potential within vocational education, business succession and New Zealand’s next generation of owner-operators.

​

No Reward Without Risk: Overcoming Fear, Hesitation, and Resistance

Dan Thurston Crow, Doso

Explore how fear, hesitation and resistance can affect entrepreneurial decision-making—and how people and organisations can become more comfortable taking purposeful risks.

​

Māori Entrepreneurship Panel Discussion

Elena Higgison (Bizhub NZ), Nikita Skipper (YES), Kaye-Maree Dunn (Āhau), Te Pouho Katene (Tapuwae Roa), Taani Reihana (Creative HQ)

​

Pathways into entrepreneurship and employment

Jay Tihama (Stand Tall), Nikita Skipper (YES), Rohan Wakefield (Dev Academy), Adiraj Gupta (Sendd), Ruth McDavitt (Summer of Tech)

From Ideas to Impact: Unlocking the Role of IP in New Zealand’s Productivity Challenge

Alicia Baxter, Penny Walsh and Dominic Belsham: IPONZ

A discussion about the role intellectual property can play in transforming ideas into commercial and societal impact and supporting New Zealand’s productivity.

​

Revitalising Wellington’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

WellyForge, Creative HQ, The Atom, Taiaha and Angel HQ

A collaborative session examining Wellington’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, the challenges it currently faces and the opportunities to build greater connection, momentum and collective action.

​

AI Workflows for Non-Technical Entrepreneurs

Parisa Shademan, Creative Coast

A practical session exploring how entrepreneurs without technical backgrounds can use AI-supported workflows in their everyday work.​

​

In Partnership with MBIE:  How startup policy gets made (and how to influence it)

Jenny Douché & Simon Wakeman

The session purpose is to - Help founders, investors and ecosystem leaders understand how government decisions affecting startups are made, where startups fit within government priorities, and how the startup community can most effectively influence future decisions.

 GEN NZ Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Awards

Following the workshop programme, we’ll come together for the GEN NZ Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Awards.

The awards recognise and celebrate the people, programmes and organisations demonstrating leadership and making a meaningful contribution to entrepreneurship and innovation across Aotearoa.

Award categories will recognise contributions across areas including entrepreneurship support, investment, research and education, Māori entrepreneurship, youth initiatives and public-sector innovation.