There are plenty of business events where the agenda follows a familiar pattern. A keynote, a few panels, some networking, and a line about canapés.

Ignite’26 feels a bit different. In this case, “networking and canapés” may be closer to Pic’s Peanut Butter on toast, based on Pic's being one of the amazing speakers.

Hosted by Icehouse on Wednesday, 6 May at Auckland Viaduct Events Centre, Ignite’26 brings together business owners, operators, founders, coaches, thinkers and leaders from very different parts of New Zealand business life. The event is built around growth, practical learning, connection, and the value of getting in the room with people who have done hard things and have something real to share.

Why Ignite’26 matters

New Zealand business leaders are operating in a period where growth is not always straightforward. Costs are tight, confidence can shift quickly, technology is moving fast, and the market rarely gives anyone a clean run.

That is exactly why events like this matter.

Not because one speaker has all the answers, but because a day like Ignite’26 gives you a collection of different lenses. You might hear something from a founder, a futurist, a performance coach, a farmer-tech entrepreneur, a cricketing great, or an economist that helps you look at your own business differently.

The value is not just inspiration. It is practical pattern recognition. What did they try? What worked? What failed? What did they learn? What would they do differently?

That is where useful thinking starts.

A wide spread of speakers and perspectives

The Ignite’26 speaker list is deliberately varied.

Melissa Clark-Reynolds will bring a future-facing view across food, technology and agriculture. Craig Piggott from Halter brings the story of building virtual fencing technology used across New Zealand, Australia and the US. Dave Niethe brings the mental performance lens, including his work with elite athletes such as Lydia Ko and Israel Adesanya.

Pic Picot and Aimee McCammon from Pic’s Peanut Butter will speak to ambition and succession. Danny Tomsett from UneeQ brings an AI and digital human perspective. Nerolie Curran from Propel Performance Group will explore the behaviours that drive performance. Tim Aldridge and Sank Macfarlane from Puro NZ bring a story of pivoting and building a new export category.

There is also Grant Elliott, with lessons from pressure, teams and performance, Abbie McKoy from Young Enterprise with a view on Gen Z employees and consumers, and Gary and Charlotte Altenburg from My Little Pub, whose story shows that business growth is rarely a straight line.

That is a lot of ground to cover in one day, but that is also the strength of the event.

Useful ideas often come from outside your own industry

One of the best reasons to attend an event like Ignite’26 is that it gets you out of your normal echo chamber.

If you work in technology, you may find the most useful insight comes from sport.
If you run a services business, the best idea might come from food manufacturing.
If you are thinking about succession, export growth, customer experience, AI, or team performance, there will likely be a story in the room that gives you something to work with.

AFQY has always been about getting people into connected conversations. The more varied the room, the better the chance of a conversation that opens something up.

Ignite’26 looks like one of those rooms.

A timely election and economy panel

The programme also includes a panel on what the next term could mean for business, moderated by Paddy Gower, with Bernard Hickey, Steven Joyce and Christina Leung. With an election ahead, and a lot for business leaders to think through, that discussion should bring a useful range of views across politics, economics and business conditions.

Not everyone will agree with every point. That is fine. In fact, that is probably the value.

A good panel should help people test their own thinking, not just confirm it.

Why AFQY is involved

AFQY is working with Ignite’26 to help capture attendee reflections throughout the day.

During the breaks, come and find Ryan at the AFQY booth. We will be recording short 30-second comments from attendees on the speakers, ideas or moments that stood out.

Nothing overproduced. Nothing complicated.

We’ll mic you up, capture your thought, and get you back into the networking in 30 seconds or less.

It might be a comment on Pic’s Peanut Butter, Halter, the election panel, mental performance, AI, export growth, succession, Gen Z, or something completely unexpected.

The point is to capture the real-time thinking in the room.

Ignite your thinking

I attended the first Ignite event and found it excellent. It was not just interesting. It was useful. The value came from the variety of experience and the practical ideas you could take away.

That is why I am heading back.

Ignite’26 is not just about listening to speakers. It is about putting yourself in a room where different experiences can spark better thinking for your own business.

Come along, bring a notebook, listen widely, and find the AFQY booth during the breaks.

Event details and tickets: https://bit.ly/Ignite26_Event_6thMay_Icehouse