Thursday 30th April 2026 @ 7:30am - 9:00am
Overview
In an environment where communications professionals are expected to interpret complex information, advise leaders, and respond credibly to misinformation and emerging technologies, strong critical thinking skills are essential. This Christchurch PRINZ breakfast session offers a practical introduction to critical thinking, tailored to the realities our profession faces in today’s fast-moving landscape.
In this introductory session, Carl Davidson will draw from a range of social science perspectives to outline why critical thinking is much harder than you might expect and why most organisations make it much harder still. You’ll learn why we’re all wired to think like lawyers rather than scientists, and why most of us believe we’re already above average thinkers. You’ll be introduced to a range of tools to unleash your critical thinking, nurture your scepticism, and supercharge your decision-making acumen. If you’re interested in improving your thinking and decision-making skills, or just worried about what all those LLMs are doing to our ability to think straight, this is the session for you!
Tickets include some light breakfast treats sourced from Grizzly Baked Goods, please advise of any dietaries when booking.
This will be our second local 2026 PRINZ event in Christchurch, and continues our overarching theme of insights for impact. Keep an eye out for more upcoming events to make the most of this focus and what we have to offer.
This event will be held in the Waimakariri Room on the ground floor. Breakfast treats available from 7.30am, and our session will start at 7.45am. Parking is available near the venue, please allow enough time to park. Please advise any dietary requirements when booking.
Your presenter is..
Carl Davidson is an insights professional with a social scientist’s heart. He has built a distinctive career bridging academia, government policy and commercial settings. In 2006 he founded Research First Ltd and oversaw its growth into one of New Zealand’s most respected insight firms. In 2010 Carl was appointed the Chief Commissioner of the New Zealand Families Commission and tasked with transforming it into a social policy research and evaluation agency. After nearly two decades at Research First, global funding shifts and pandemic disruptions prompted a reset. So in 2025 Carl launched The Curiosity Company.
In 2023 he was honoured as a Fellow of the Research Association of New Zealand (RANZ) and celebrated alongside Research First for winning the RANZ Market Research Effectiveness Supreme Award that year. In 2023 he was also named as Global Insights250 winner, an award “celebrating the worldwide pioneers, leaders and innovators in market research, data-driven marketing and insights”. The Insight250 presents a unique view into academic, enterprise, agency, technology, media and association data-driven leaders around the globe.
