CSNZ Annual Workshop

CSNZ Annual Workshop

Programme 

The theme for the 2026 workshop is
DISRUPTION AT ALTITUDE.

 

It’s all about tackling the significant shifts coming our way – from AI and economic pressures to the ongoing talent challenge. We’ll be exploring how we can stay one step ahead by leaning into innovation, thinking boldly, and rising to meet change head-on.

Thursday 19th March

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9.30 am- 12.30 pm — Rendezvous Heritage Hotel Queenstown

Fieldtrip – The Remarkables Ski field Fieldtrip (optional)

Join us for a field trip to The Remarkables Ski Field, where AJ Harford-Brown from Southern Land Development Consultants will showcase surveying work completed in the alpine environment.

Further information is available on the Social Outings page. A small additional fee applies to cover transport, and we ask that you register for this trip when completing your workshop registration.

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12:30 pm - 2.00 pm — Rendezvous Heritage hotel queenstown

Open for registrations

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2.00 pm - 2.10 PM — Rendezvous Heritage hotel Queenstown

Official Welcome

Glyn Lewers, former Mayor of Queenstown Lakes District Council

Glyn Lewers is a qualified surveyor and engineer, holding degrees from the University of Otago and the University of Southern Queensland. Before entering local politics, he worked in Australia on large-scale infrastructure projects before settling in Queenstown, where he established his own structural engineering practice. He served as a councillor for the Queenstown Lakes District Council before being elected mayor in 2022. During his tenure, Glyn focused on infrastructure delivery, housing affordability, transparency in council operations, and environmental resilience. His leadership saw progress on major infrastructure projects such as the Queenstown arterial road, closer collaboration with the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust, and initiatives to improve public access to council decision-making. 

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2.10 pm - 2.20 PM — Rendezvous Heritage Hotel Queenstown

Welcome

Paul Turner– CSNZ Chairperson

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2.20 pm - 2.30 PM — Rendezvous Heritage Hotel Queenstown

Welcome to new members

Paul Turner – CSNZ Chairperson

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2:30 pm - 3.30 PM — Rendezvous Heritage Hotel Queenstown

Radical Responsibility

Di Foster – Di Foster Coaching Ltd

 

Di Foster is the business coach to Accidental Business Owners, a compelling keynote speaker, and an accidental podcaster. Di draws on her extensive life and business experience to deliver grounded keynotes filled with practical advice, no-nonsense insights, and actionable steps. She avoids jargon and connects with her audience through relatable and impactful stories.
Di Foster is a storyteller who draws on lessons from her business experience, her terminal cancer diagnosis, her status as a fourth-degree black belt, and her front-row seat as a coach to Accidental Business Leaders.
Her genius lies in her simplicity. She takes complex issues and distils them down with her programmatic approach to business and life. Di leaves audiences with much to reflect on, a new zest for living, and a clear understanding of what holds them back.
While Di Foster’s wellness journey is not enviable, her perspective and pragmatic approach certainly is. Di shares and explores the powerful concept that while we may not be responsible for the circumstances and events that have shaped our lives, it is ultimately our responsibility to overcome them. Many of us carry the stories of our past experiences, limiting beliefs, and negative thoughts that shape our actions in the current moment, ultimately shaping our future experiences and holding us back from reaching our true potential. These internal barriers stop us from taking radical responsibility for ourselves and our lives.
Di shares with you her practical, grounded toolkit, and her experiences, pragmatic approach, and incredible mindset will inspire you in your own journey.
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3.30 PM - 4.00 pm — The Rendezvous Heritate Hotel

Afternoon tea

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4.00 pm - 5.00 PM — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

Radical Responsibility continues

Di Foster – Di Foster Coaching Limited

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5.00pm - 5.30pm — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

Topics for discussion 

Facilitated by Paul Turner, CSNZ Chairperson

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5.30 PM — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

Housekeeping

Paul Turner

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6.45 PM - Transport departs The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel for Soda

Welcome Dinner at Soda (included in Earlybird or Full registration)

Dinner is included for members who have purchased the Earlybird or Full Registration for the Queenstown workshop.

One-day attendees and partners are invited to join for $120 per person (limited availability, first come, first served).  Tickets must be purchased at time of registration.

For more details, please visit the Social Outings page.

Friday 20th March

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9.00am - 10.30 am — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

AI – Where to next after Auckland in 2025

Mark Laurence, Ten Past Tomorrow

In 2025, we highlighted the growing chasm between AI capability and its adoption in New Zealand. We predicted that AI agents would define the year ahead. Now, twelve months on, this session provides a pragmatic, clear-eyed look at the state of AI in early 2026. Building directly on last year’s conversation, Mark Laurence will cut through the hype to deliver an essential update on where AI is heading next and what it means for your industry. Expect it to be as inspiring and confronting as it was in Auckland.

Bring along your laptop with ChatGPT.

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10.30 am - 11.00 am — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

Morning Tea

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11.00 am - 12.00 pm — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

BREAK-OUT GROUP ONE

AI Prompting Basics

Mark Laurence – Ten Past Tomorrow

Struggling to get consistent, high-quality results from AI? This session is for you. Designed for beginners/those that didn’t attend the 2025 workshop or those wanting a practical refresher, this workshop strips AI back to its most crucial foundation: the prompt. You will learn how to prompt powerfully and effectively, unlocking the potential of AI to drive real efficiency and productivity in your daily tasks and processes. Leave with the practical skills you need to start getting immediate value from AI.

Bring along your laptop with ChatGPT.

 

BREAK-OUT GROUP TWO

War Stories  

Don Moir, Mike Stott, & Decklyn Thomson and Matt Naylor from GSI Insurance Partners

In this candid session, Don and Mike will share their firsthand experiences of being targeted by online scams and cyberattacks — offering a rare, honest look at what can happen when things go wrong. They’ll discuss how these incidents unfolded, what recovery looked like, and the safeguards they’ve since put in place.

Adding further perspective, Decklyn and Matt from GSI Insurance Partners will draw on their extensive experience supporting clients through similar situations. They’ll highlight common pitfalls, share real examples of insurance responses to cyber incidents, and outline what practical cover options exist for small-to-medium firms.

Attendees will come away with practical strategies for protecting their businesses from fraud, a clearer understanding of where insurance fits into cyber risk management, and the opportunity to share their own experiences or questions in an open, down-to-earth discussion.

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12.00 pm - 1.00 pm - The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

Advanced AI

Mark Laurence – Ten Past Tomorrow

For those who are already using AI and are ready to ask, “What’s next?” This advanced session moves beyond basic prompting and into the world of AI-powered automation. We will explore how to design and build cutting-edge AI agents and automated workflows that can deliver a meaningful return on investment for real-world business tasks. This session is designed for non-developers, providing a strategic look at the tools and techniques that are shaping the future of work.

Bring along your laptop with ChatGPT. 

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1.00 pm - 2.00 pm — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

Lunch

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2.00 pm - 3.00 pm — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

Innovation, AI, and the People Who Make It Work

Ben Taylor, Head of Sports at Animation Research Ltd

Discover the story behind Animation Research Ltd (ARL) and its transformation into the internationally acclaimed Virtual Eye. This session offers a rare inside look at the company’s journey of innovation and creativity, and the lessons learned along the way. It explores how ARL has embraced artificial intelligence and the practical ways it can be woven into business, organisational, and even family life. The talk also examines the dynamics of intergenerational business, why New Zealand firms consistently excel on the world stage, and why valuing your people remains the foundation of lasting success.

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3.00 pm - 3.30 pm — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

LINZ Update

Anselm Haanen – Surveyor-General

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3.30 - 4:00 pm — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

Afternoon Tea

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4.00 - 5.15pm pm — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

Discovering Your Working Genius

Michelle Blicavs – CEO, Surveyors Australia

 

In this session, we introduce participants to “The Six Types of Working Genius”, a productivity and team framework. Unlike a personality test, Working Genius is about what gives you energy and joy at work.
Each participant will need to complete a short assessment (≈10 minutes) before the session, which identifies their two Working Geniuses, two Competencies, and two Frustrations.  We’ll then map out how these roles play out in real work and team scenarios.
In applying this to a surveying firm context, we’ll explore:
  • How recognising each person’s Working Genius can improve delegation and role design
  • How to build project teams that ensure everyone is productive
  • Strategies for reducing friction when someone is asked to work in an area that drains them
  • A “Team Map” exercise showing gaps or over-concentrations in your leadership/operations team
By the end of this session, participants will have: their personal Working Genius report; a visual map of their team’s genius mix; and practical next steps to align tasks, roles and workflows around energy and strength.
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5.15 pm— The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

Housekeeping

Paul Turner

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6.15 pm— Transport departs from The Rendezvous Hertiage Hotel to Steamer wharf

Gourmet BBQ at Walters Peak (optional)

Invitation to attendees and their partners – $209pp (limited numbers, booked on a first booked basis)

Unwind with a drink on board the Queenstown vintage steamship, The TSS Earnslaw, upon arrival to Walters Peak enjoy a gourmet BBQ buffet.  After dessert you’ll be treated to a farm dog show.

Includes, return coach transfers to Steamer Wharf, return cruise on board The TSS Earnslaw with welcome drink, gourmet BBQ buffet dinner and farm dog show.

Tickets must be purchased at the time of registeration.

Please see the Social Outings page for additional information

Saturday 21st March

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7:30 am - 9:30 am —The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel, Conference Rooms

Breakfast with Carlos Bagrie (included in Earlybird or Full registration)

Breakfast is included for members who have purchased the Earlybird or Full Registration for the Auckland workshop.

One-day attendees and partners are invited to join for $55 per person (limited availability, first come, first served).  Tickets can be purchased at time of registration.

7:30 – 8:20 am – Buffet breakfast

8:30 – 9:30 am – Key Note Speaker

Carlos Bagrie
Carlos Bagrie brings a rare blend of grassroots farming wisdom and commercial marketing experience to the stage. A 5th-generation Southland farmer, he shifted from a career in major-brand marketing to co-lead Royalburn Station in Central Otago — now a highly diversified operation that includes cropping, a market garden, beekeeping, a retail arm, and more. With his Nuffield Scholarship earned in 2023, he’s travelled globally to deepen his understanding of food systems and sustainability. As a speaker, Carlos delivers a compelling “farm to plate” narrative—cutting through marketing spin, challenging assumptions, and offering practical insights into how we’ll feed future populations ethically and resiliently.
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9:45 - 10.30 am — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

Topics for discussion, continued from Thursday

Facilitated by Paul Turner, CSNZ Chairperson

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10:30 am - 11:00 am — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

Morning tea

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11:00 am - 12:00 pm — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

Smarter Surveying: Technology, Profitability & People

Facilitated by Bruce Robinson – Global Survey and Jonathan Davis, AllTerra

This joint session with Bruce Robinson (Global Survey) and Jonathan Davis (AllTerra) will explore how emerging technologies are reshaping the modern surveying practice — not just from a technical standpoint, but in terms of efficiency, profitability, and business resilience. Drawing on real-world examples and their extensive industry experience, Bruce and Jonathan will discuss how firms can identify bottlenecks, apply technology to streamline workflows, and create new revenue opportunities.

The conversation will also touch on how surveyors can position themselves as leaders in data management and spatial insight as tools become increasingly accessible to non-specialists. Expect a practical, business-focused discussion designed to help firm owners make informed decisions about the tools, processes, and innovations that genuinely add value.

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12:00 pm — The Rendezvous Heritage Hotel

End of workshop