Young Guns Leadership Conference 2026

In our fast-paced working world, we need teams and team members who can innovate and collaborate, flexing in the face of changing circumstances and demands. Many New Zealand organisations have been under significant pressure in recent times, and more employees are experiencing signs of psychological distress. Organisations play a vital role in helping employees achieve their best and in turn, those employees go on to underpin the productivity and success of organisations. Research demonstrates that a particular attribute of team culture is most important for enabling this type of high performance – a quality called ‘psychological safety’. The session introduces what psychological safety is; discusses what happens in your brain when you are not feeling psychologically safe and tips for improving team performance.

Presented by Dr Barbara Rysenbry, Registered Clinical Psychologist, Umbrella

Networking and refreshments

It's no longer enough to deliver the figures; clients want clarity, direction, and confidence in their next steps. This session explores a structured approach to advisory that helps you:

• Uncover what really matters to your clients

• Use financial analysis to prompt meaningful conversations

• Guide clients toward clear, confident decisions

• Build accountability and follow-through into your process

Learn how to move from data delivery to practical impact, creating lasting value for your clients and sustainable growth for your firm.

Presented Mark Holton, Smithink

Lessons I've learned and mistakes I've made from my career in accounting, including:

• What separates a good practice vs a bad practice to further your career

• Buying into, growing and selling a practice by age 38

• Building a new advisory division

• Building Three Rivers Group from the ground up

Presenter: Matt Feehan, Three Rivers Group

Work together with your peers to explore some of the key elements that will shape successful accounting firms in the years ahead. Together you'll debate challenges, share ideas, and distil your discussion into three core points to bring forward.

Facilitated by Matt Feehan & Mark Holton

This session offers a practical look at career progression, leadership mindset, and how to build influence while staying true to your values.

Presenter by Mark Holton, Smithink & Carl Cachopa, RSM NZ

This interactive workshop helps accounting professionals use personal & business stories to communicate clearly, build trust, and influence their audience. Participants will learn a simple storytelling framework to turn everyday experiences into structured, engaging narratives for presentations, client conversations, and networking.

Through guided exercises and practical coaching, participants identify their own stories and practise delivering them with confidence. The result is clearer communication, a stronger connection with audiences, and stories they can immediately apply in business settings.

Presenter John Maybury

Networking Function – Drinks & Canapés

Unwind and connect with fellow delegates over drinks and canapés in the rooftop area at SO/Hotel Auckland. Enjoy relaxed networking in a stylish setting as the city transitions into evening—an ideal opportunity to continue conversations, make new connections, and ease into the social side of the conference.

Proudly sponsored by SmartAR.

In this era of scarce talent and margin squeeze, it is critical that firms are organised to enable their people to perform at their best. How teams are organised, the resources required, and how work is planned can transform the efficiency of the firm as well as the job satisfaction and personal development of the team. Come prepared to have traditional thinking challenged and ponder how changing the way your firm is organised might be the key to taking the business to the next level of productivity and client service.

Presented by Matt Feehan, Three Rivers Group

Drawing on current industry insights and emerging trends, this session examines what sets New Zealand’s top-performing firms apart. We explore how they lift profitability and productivity through sharper pricing, disciplined workflows, smart technology adoption (including AI), and intentional leadership.

Focused and practical, this session highlights the strategic and operational choices that consistently drive superior performance in a rapidly evolving profession.

Presented by Matt Feehan + Carl Cachopa, RSM NZ

This session will provide a practical view on how firms should begin their Generative AI journey, focusing on building leadership understanding, identifying high value use cases, uplifting knowledge worker productivity through secure enterprise tools, and embedding responsible AI governance from day one.

We will explore how to move from experimentation to structured adoption, ensuring AI is aligned to firm strategy, risk appetite, and long term competitiveness.

Presented by Kayur Patel, PwC

Each group will present their ideas to the group, highlighting the three points they've agreed upon. This session brings all perspectives together to create a collective vision for the accounting firm of tomorrow.

Facilitated by Mark Holton and Matt Feehan

Final questions from the audience for Matt & Mark and opportunity to connect and swap contact details with likeminded attendees to continue leadership journey with peers in the NZ CA membership. Followed by morning tea.