ISPANZ brings NZ's ISPs to the new NZICC for its 2026 Conference & AGM

ISPANZ 2026 Annual Conference & AGM

The Internet Service Providers Association of New Zealand (ISPANZ) holds its 2026 Annual Conference & AGM on Wednesday 26 August 2026, running from 9:00am to 5:00pm at The New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC), 101 Hobson Street, Auckland CBD. The formal Annual General Meeting is scheduled for the first half hour, 9:00am to 9:30am, ahead of the day's speaker programme.

Who runs it

ISPANZ is a non-profit industry body representing most internet service providers operating in New Zealand, from major operators through to medium and small regional ISPs. Its membership listing runs to around 29 organisations, including Chorus, Mercury, Voyager Internet, Inspire Net, Lightwire, Primo Wireless and industry body InternetNZ, among others. The association is led by chief executive David Haynes, and the conference is organised directly by ISPANZ with bookings handled through a dedicated Lil Regie registration page. Note that despite the similar acronym, ISPANZ is a telecommunications association and is distinct from ISNZ (Independent Schools of New Zealand).

Who it is for and the programme

The conference is aimed at internet and telecommunications specialists, network operators, suppliers and regulators. The 2026 speaker line-up includes Pierre-Emmanuel Goiffon (Head of Connectivity, Datagrid New Zealand) on AI factories and datacentres, Richard Prowse (NZ Hyperscale Director, CDC), Brad Terpstra (Director of Engineering, Halter), Trevor Fong (Head of RAN, 2degrees) on the 2degrees and AST SpaceMobile update, Regan Mowbray (Managing Director, RexNetworks), Ben Oakley (Head of Telecommunications, Commerce Commission) on competition and regulation, and Paul Delahunty (Deputy Chief Executive, Ministry for Regulation), with further speakers to be announced. An exhibition space runs alongside the refreshments area for suppliers, and the association is holding its first-ever conference dinner, sponsored by Spark Wholesale, on the Wednesday evening at Botswana Butchery.

Venue and delegate movement

The NZICC opened in February 2026 and is Aotearoa's only venue carrying official International Convention Centre status. It sits in the heart of the Auckland CBD on Hobson Street, owned and operated by SkyCity Entertainment Group. Its central-city location places delegates within walking distance of a large cluster of Auckland CBD hotels, including the adjacent SkyCity precinct accommodation, and close to the Britomart and Aotea transport hubs served by Auckland's rail and bus network. Auckland Airport lies roughly 20 to 25 kilometres south of the city, connected by the SkyDrive and other airport bus services as well as taxi and rideshare, making the venue straightforward to reach for out-of-town delegates flying in for the single-day event.

Why it matters in NZ MICE

As a focused, single-day industry gathering with a substantive regulatory and infrastructure agenda, the ISPANZ conference is a compact but influential fixture in New Zealand's association-events calendar, drawing the country's connectivity sector together in one room. Its 2026 move to the newly opened NZICC, paired with an expanded programme and the association's first conference dinner, signals the growing scale of the event and reflects the flagship convention centre's role in anchoring specialist national conferences in central Auckland.