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Master the Future of Work with HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest NZ 2025
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The future of work is already here, and it's changing faster than many HR and L&D professionals are prepared for.
Technological advancements, shifting employee expectations, and the rise of AI are reshaping how organisations attract, retain, and develop talent. HR and L&D leaders are no longer just support functions - they are central drivers of organisational transformation.
And yet, many are still struggling to answer one critical question:
How do we keep up and get ahead in this ever-changing world of work?
The answer lies in continuous learning, future-ready skills, and a willingness to rethink traditional models of work, leadership, and capability building.
That’s exactly why we’re bringing together HR, L&D, and organisational leaders at this year’s HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest NZ: to uncover bold ideas, explore real-world use cases, and prepare people teams for what comes next.
Featuring a lineup of visionary speakers and interactive sessions, this event will equip attendees with the knowledge and tools needed not just to keep up but to excel in the future of work.
Before we gather at Cordis Auckland on 25–26 June, we asked four of our expert speakers to to uncover some home truths about the future of HR and L&D -from the innovations changing the game, to how we can balance tech with the human touch, bust common myths, and spark real change where it’s needed most.
What’s the most exciting innovation you’re currently seeing in the HR or L&D space, and why do you think it’s a game-changer?
“Obviously, the elephant in the room is AI. It’s been here for a long while and now, with its unprecedented accelerating growth, the levels of disruption to how we think, decide and act do prompt fears of workplace Armageddon. This technology will impact every single role in an organisation. What we seem to be missing, especially when it comes to leadership in HR and L&D, is navigating the scale of comprehensive adoption of AI, especially in what it really means to our people and its progress. AI is such a massive opportunity and challenge that it fundamentally questions every aspect of business. It is reshaping business models and cultures, forcing organisations to rethink their value propositions, operational expertise and competitive advantages. From what I’ve seen, our government, regulatory bodies and “traditional” organisations aren’t stepping up and into this space at the right pace to have the right impact. We’re letting the AI overloads dictate, drive the adoption and decide for us. That doesn’t seem right to me at all!”
How can organisations strike the right balance between leveraging technology and maintaining the human element in people development?
“Well, as folks will find out from my session, it’s all focused on the human element because that it where our power truly sits. It’s about bringing more humanity back into development. Future readiness means taking a much deeper understanding of yourself to elevate self and others. A historical reality in HR and L&D is that we focus on the big shiny strategic things or get distracted by operational firefighting. Rarely is sustained effort maintained on people development. For example, take people at this event - many won’t really be present, focused on learning and getting the most out of the opportunity. They’ll be checking their phones, ducking out to deal with something allegedly important and deprioritising their experience.
Even when organisations give them time to learn and develop, it’s easier to rebound to business as usual. Ironically, we in HR and L&D are often not great learners ourselves. That’s where the real challenge lies. It’s not just about attending sessions, it’s how people translate what they learn into action, improve performance and unlock potential. That’s where the rubber hits the road. After 25 years in corporate HR, and almost five years running my leadership practice, I love being part of this family and also being a big critic. The clue is the first word in our function! We have over-focused on process, policy, structure, systems and tools, and taken out the humanness and humanity.”
What’s one myth about HR tech or digital learning you’d love to bust and what’s the truth?
“Implementing the latest and greatest technology or tool will automatically solve your problems. The truth is no matter how advanced or shiny the technology is, its success depends on your organisation’s culture - the mindsets, attitudes, and behaviours of every employee not just HR or leadership. You can invest millions in tech but if the culture is not primed and ready to embrace and use, it simply will not deliver the results you expect. HR’s role is crucial in bridging that gap. Bringing technology to life means understanding and shaping culture so the technology support strategic execution with your people, not despite them.”
What are you most looking forward to sharing or learning at the HR + L&D Innovation and Tech Fest?
I am delighted to be kicking off Day 2 with a full hour so shall pull out all the stops to deliver present as best as I possibly can. I’m also looking forward to learning - taking in what I can from the other sessions, understanding what’s on offer, and gaining new insights. And finally, I love the networking. Last year’s social events were honestly the best I’ve seen at an HR conference.
What’s the most exciting innovation you’re currently seeing in the HR or L&D space, and why do you think it’s a game-changer?
“It’s interesting, because in some ways I’d say I’m not seeing a lot of real innovation, but one thing I do quite like, if it’s used properly, is sentiment software. This kind of software is now embedded into platforms like Teams and Zone, and it can pick up on things like conversational tone, Engagement levels who’s dominating the discussion, and overall team dynamics. When used appropriately, it can be incredibly helpful - encouraging leaders or team members to speak more, speak less, or adjust their tone. The key is context though. When that kind of data is pulled into a report and sent to a leadership team without the full picture, it can be damaging or used inappropriately. But when applied thoughtfully, sentiment software could be a powerful and exciting tool.”
How can organisations strike the right balance between leveraging technology and maintaining the human element in people development?
“I go back to many years ago when I was a category manager. People used to say, “retail is detail,” and the ones who did ok had all these massive spreadsheets and were constantly doing range reviews, but the individuals that did really well always reserved 20% for the human eye. Whatever data or performance insights you're looking at, you need to understand the context first and that comes from being curious and asking the right questions. I’m a strong believer in keeping that human element. I love AI and I use ita lot for research. Especially in the medical and health fields, I’ve seen some powerful applications. But it still needs a human to harvest context to understand the behaviour behind it. Because you can’t change behaviour without context. And that’s a key personal driver for me.”
In your experience, what’s one overlooked area in HR or L&D that’s ripe for innovation?
“Generational diversity - that’s what I’m focusing on. I think a lot of the friction in workplaces today, across learning, HR, leadership, and company culture, stems from a lack of generational understanding. People often worry that acknowledging generational differences is stereotyping, but the reality is we are all shaped by the world we grew up in. It’s not about putting people in boxes; it’s about recognising that different generations do think, hold values and behave differently. And right now, we’re not doing enough to understand each other, in fact in many cases working against each other.
There are so many barriers wrapped up in this. You’ve got Gen Z and millennials saying, “OK boomer” and pointing out inequalities like real estate ownership or wealth distribution. But if we stripped that back and just got genuinely curious, empathy could bridge a lot of those gaps. It needs to come from both ends, we need stronger “eldership” to pass down the fire. If we can address the divide, we’ll enable stronger collaboration and more meaningful communication - especially as Gen Z is already starting to move into senior roles. Everyone’s talking about AI, but in my view, one of the biggest challenges we need to address is the human problem needs to be resolved culturally inside organisations.”
What are you most looking forward to sharing or learning at the HR + L&D Innovation and Tech Fest?
“I’m excited to bring forward this talk because it’s very fresh. What I love about it the most is that I’m a great believer in Martha Beck’s theory that the way you do one thing is the way you do everything. I purposely build what I share with people around a skill that they’ll learn in the workplace, but it goes into the home as well because pain points like generational diversity are not just around the boardroom table, they’re around the dining room table as well. So, when people become informed, when they get curious and inquire about how they can get alongside the different generations in the workplace, they’re going to take that skill into their home life as well.”
What’s the most exciting innovation you’re currently seeing in the HR or L&D space, and why do you think it’s a game-changer?
“AI and its applications. I think that’s probably the thing that’s going to cause the most disruption in the short to medium term. It’s an interesting one, because it’s a bit of a double-edged sword. If it’s applied incorrectly, it can do tremendous harm. But if it’s applied effectively, it could provide incredible benefits in the future. And I think that’s where the interesting part lies - where is this going to go? How are we going to be able to use it effectively? Everyone’s going to be looking to make a buck out of this, so how will it play out? How will our relationship with it change? Will people become educated enough to tell the difference between where it’s being applied for good versus where it’s being applied for bad?
I think we’ve already seen that play out in recruitment, where AI has possibly been used in some unethical ways. And I think we’ll see similar risks and opportunities in L&D, especially as it starts to roll out. Ultimately - there’s a lot of good innovation happening. We’re already seeing things like chatbots running coaching sessions, or AI systems that can assess you at a much higher level than any person and tell you exactly what you need to focus on to develop your career. AI can create that plan and lay it out for you.”
How can organisations strike the right balance between leveraging technology and maintaining the human element in people development?
“I think it’s about organisations continuing to invest in people and culture, but really, it’s about building the case to leaders and organisations for why that human touch is still so important. At the end of the day, we’re human. We’ve evolved in a way that means having real conversations about your aspirations, motivations, and desires is fundamentally important to the direction you want to go in. A machine is never really going to be able to figure out what you truly enjoy or what you don’t. That’s intrinsic motivation, and I don’t think a machine will ever be able to fully understand or articulate that. People perform at their best when they’re doing something they enjoy and are also good at, and I just don’t think machines are going to be capable, at least not for a long time of balancing that in the way a human can.”
What’s one myth about HR tech or digital learning you’d love to bust and what’s the truth?
“I think the biggest myth is that you can just put a piece of technology in place, and it will instantly transform your learning processes and capabilities within an organisation. I’ve seen this happen in multiple places. For example, I’ve seen an organisation implement impressive tech around coaching - allowing you to set goals, connect with coaches, and receive development recommendations based on what you wanted to work on. It was phenomenal technology, and you’d think implementing it would create massive change. But, it didn’t translate into the transformation people expected.
At the end of the day, humans are human. They need to feel heard and engaged. Technology alone isn’t enough. Without the drive, the application, and that human connection, it just won’t come together. What’s more important than the technology itself is the program that surrounds it: the processes, the behaviours, and the culture you embed to make it successful.”
In your experience, what’s one overlooked area in HR or L&D that’s ripe for innovation?
“It’s strategic workforce planning for small to medium enterprises. Right now, there are quite sophisticated solutions for strategic workforce planning aimed at large enterprises. But in the small-to-medium space, there’s not much available. If you could get that right, it would shape a lot of people’s L&D programs and development efforts, because you’d be able to clearly see - here are the capabilities we can buy, here are the ones we need to build, and here’s where technology can support us. I think too many organisations right now take an overly simplistic approach to capability development, without considering that broader strategic picture and exploring all the options available. Therefore, strategic workforce planning is one of those areas with enormous opportunity for innovation.”
What are you most looking forward to sharing or learning at the HR + L&D Innovation and Tech Fest?
“I’ll be talking about building high-performing, cross-functional teams. I feel like a lot of people haven’t put enough thought into this area. A lot of effort goes into building high-performing teams, but often we think about teams that are going to be together for a long time.
Most team interventions are designed with long-term teams in mind, but what about when you have teams that are only coming together for a shorter period? Collaboration and development are just as important in those situations, but the approach needs to be different because those teams aren’t going to be around forever. So, I’ll be focusing on how to get the most out of those individuals in short-term teams and how to maximise impact in a limited time.”
What’s the most exciting innovation you’re currently seeing in the HR or L&D space, and why do you think it’s a game-changer?
"Businesses today are complex and constantly evolving. Many organisations are going through transformation or technology replacement programs that bring in AI and automation capabilities. This opens an exciting opportunity for People/HR teams to lead the way in adopting new ways of working. At Kotahi, our programme has given us the opportunity to reimagine our learning framework, set the foundations for AI to improve employee experience and improve access to information. For the P&C team, we have an opportunity to lead creation of a new knowledge management system which will seamlessly integrate with business processes and data governance. This will enhance people capability, by leveraging AI to improve traditional knowledge management practices.
Now is also a great time to trial generative AI to write a story, employee letter or new content ideas. This is an easy way to have a go at creating content or build on your critical thinking. Reach out to your IT team to understand how they can support your learning. Now is an exciting time to experiment!"
How can organisations strike the right balance between leveraging technology and maintaining the human element in people development?
“There’s a real balance to be struck between using technology to enhance the employee experience without losing that human connection. Employees today increasingly expect the same level of experience at work that they get as consumers. That’s where technology plays a powerful role. It can handle the heavy lifting things like natural language search, consistent data access, and making company policies easily accessible. But the real opportunity is in what that unlocks: it frees up time for HR teams, people practitioners, and people leaders to focus on what really matters coaching, development programs, and fostering a strong people-first culture.”
What’s one myth about HR tech or digital learning you’d love to bust and what’s the truth?
“A common fear is that the rise of digital and online learning means the end of face-to-face learning experiences. But the truth is, people learn best through a mix of different formats. The future lies in blended learning - combining the best of both worlds. Digital tools bring flexibility, scale, and personalization, while in-person learning plays a vital role in building relationships, practicing soft skills, boosting confidence, and creating a supportive learning culture.
Digital learning frees up time and space for more meaningful, personal experiences. For example, fundamental knowledge can be delivered online through engaging self-paced modules, leaving in-person sessions to focus on collaboration, coaching, and real-time feedback. So instead of choosing one or the other, organisations can embrace both, using technology to extend the reach and impact of human-centred learning. The goal isn’t to replace the human element- it’s to amplify it.”
In your experience, how is the role of the Chief People Officer, HR or people practitioner changing?
“The role of the Chief People Officer, and people practitioners generally, is evolving - driven largely by business transformation. These roles are evolving to include change management, communications, and strategic leadership. Executive leaders see culture and change management as critical to the success of any transformation programme. AI and automation discussions present an opportunity for people teams to lead change. They’re helping employees adopt new ways of working that ultimately free up more time to focus on finding solutions for customers. This is a shift in focus that is happening right now.”
What are you most looking forward to sharing or learning at the HR + L&D Innovation and Tech Fest?
"It’s always great to spend time with talented people, sharing ideas and learning about the journeys businesses are taking. I look forward to hearing how other organisations are approaching business transformation, AI, technology, and innovation. I’m also keen to learn how other people practitioners are shaping their people strategies."
What does the future of work really look like - and how do we get there?
With 35+ sessions across two energising days, HR + L&D Innovation & Tech Fest NZ is your opportunity to explore what’s driving real change in the workplace — from bold new technologies to practical people strategies that work.
Join a dynamic community of HR and L&D professionals as we dive into what’s next for leadership, learning, and workplace innovation.
25–26 June | Cordis Auckland
This is an event not to be missed.
Secure your tickets online or speak to the team