Many comms managers and leaders are finding themselves without a roadmap for AI implementation. Junior roles are changing, rapidly, and pressure to 'use the tools' is frequently outpacing strategic or ethical reflection necessary to enable your team to adapt. In this provocative and practical session, Emily Makere Broadmore (Director of Heft Communications) introduces the Heft Framework - an approach they are using to support AI adoption in communications teams with intention, clarity and care. Drawing on Heft’s leadership across government and industry, Emily explores how AI is reshaping job descriptions, team structures, and the unwritten rules of professional development - particularly for young people.

Led by professional director and PRINZ Life Member Tracey Bridges, this short course answers all your questions about how to work well with Boards, and – for those who are interested – how to move into a governance career. It will touch on key aspects of Governance practice. It will comprise a presentation and plenty of time for questions, answers and discussion.

Knowing how to edit writing – whether it’s your own or someone else’s – is a crucial skill to have, yet it’s rarely taught. This fun and practical course covers the essentials, including how to tighten sentences, writing in the active voice, using positive phrasing and writing strong intros. The course is filled with practical exercises – as soon as a technique is taught, you’ll then be able to practice it.

The podcasting wave is yet to hit New Zealand in the same way it’s hit the US and UK. Brands here are slowly realising the power of using podcasting to deliver their messaging directly to their clients, colleagues or constituents. There are two main ways brands can operate in this space. One is to advertise their brand on an existing podcast, the other is to have their own branded podcast. Andy can talk you through the pros and cons of both and will also show you how easy it is to start your own branded podcast and how to maximise its reach and engagement.

A successful speech can change the world, but it starts with a blank page.

This workshop empowers speechwriters to assemble their ideas, find their voice, and earn their audience’s attention. It demystifies the speechwriting process, including the crucial planning phase when writing speeches for others, and encourages purposeful, effective storytelling.

Considering building a career in public relations and communication management? This event will spotlight four young professionals from different sectors of PR, starting or shaping their inspiring career journeys in their own ways. They’ll share their experiences, insights, lessons learnt, and tips to help you explore and build your own PR pathway.

This workshop balances both the theory and practice involved in identifying and managing issues and crisis situations. The course will enable you to understand appropriate actions before, during and after a major incident as well as provide strategies around communications planning and practical guidance on working with the media and broader aspects of communication in times of crisis.

As the media and communications landscape continues to evolve, strategic media engagement is more important — and more complex — than ever.
Whether you're advising senior leaders, delivering media strategies, or supporting organisations to stay visible and credible through a mix of channels, join us for a lively panel discussion exploring how you can level-up your expertise in creating impact through strategic media engagement. We’ll hear stellar perspectives from decades of experience across journalism, communications and insights with Keith Lynch (editor in chief at Stuff Digital), Coen Lammers (communications consultant) and Ngaire Crawford (director insights and research at iSentia).

AI can become your PhD-level consultant for behaviour change—but only if you train with carefully crafted prompts. Whether you're seeking reliable and robust research, crafting campaigns for behaviour change, or designing experiments to evaluate what works, this course shows you how to prompt AI like a behavioural designer and tackle your most pressing behaviour change challenges alongside you.

Join Isabel Leeming as she shares the key insights from her Master’s thesis, The Adoption of Communication Technologies by the Aotearoa New Zealand Public Relations Industry: Social Media and Artificial Intelligence. She will touch on the risk of trial-and-error learning in AI implementation, the importance of proactive adoption models for the PR industry and more. Find out how the NZ landscape is adopting communication technology so far and where to go from here.

In this interactive online workshop, we cover the principles for preparing great media releases, communications materials, and general business content. Our resident editing expert, Julie Shannon, will teach you how to craft engaging stories and convey these in a clear and convincing tone. You’ll also explore different topics and contexts with plenty of ‘before’ and ‘after’ examples from a range of industries.

Step into the world of government relations through the lens of Alice in Wonderland. In this hands-on workshop, you will understand and demystify how to plan for and engage with government personnel and departments.

This workshop blends insight, strategy and practical roleplay to help you confidently plan for your goals whether it be building awareness, lobbying or relationship-building. Cas Carter has been on both sides of the coin and is here to build your confidence to step into government spaces with purpose.