Artificial intelligence, cyber security and governance risk will take centre stage at the 2026 Independent Schools of New Zealand Annual Conference, where school leaders will gather to examine some of the most complex challenges now shaping education.
Held at the International Convention Centre in Auckland on 11–12 September, the conference brings together heads, principals, governors, business managers and IT directors from independent primary and secondary schools across the country. A key highlight will be an address from Minister of Education Hon Erica Stanford, who will speak on the Government’s priorities for education before joining a fireside chat where school leaders can put their most pressing questions directly to her.
This year’s programme reflects the rapidly expanding responsibilities carried by school leaders; the sessions deal with the use of AI in teaching and assessment, cyber security and data strategy, the legal and governance risk now carried by school boards, and the wellbeing and performance of school leaders working under sustained pressure.
The breadth of the programme illustrates how much wider the job of running a school has become.
“A decade ago a conference for the sector could reasonably be built around teaching and learning alone. Now the person managing a school’s cyber security sits as close to the centre of the operation as the person managing its curriculum, and the board is being asked questions it has never had to answer before.”
For the first time, the concurrent programme will run across three streams: Governance, Educational Leadership, and Business and IT, allowing delegates to tailor their learning to their role and priorities.
The conference also draws strongly on the expertise within member schools, with workshops, panels, case studies and discussion groups led by practitioners from across the sector.
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