The Bold Steps Conference returns on Thursday 3 December 2026 at the NZ International Convention Centre in Auckland, a women-in-leadership event run by the On Being Bold collective with a programme of prominent New Zealand leaders.
The Bold Steps Conference 2026 takes place on Thursday 3 December 2026 at the NZ International Convention Centre (NZICC) in Auckland. The organiser's site (onbeingbold.co.nz/boldsteps) confirms the date and venue and publishes a full programme built around the theme "The ripple effect," with a downloadable programme PDF and registration handled through EventsAir.
The event is run by On Being Bold, an online collective that describes itself as "developed by women for women" and "empowering women to lead with purpose." Its site lists Bold Steps conferences across 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025, with the 2026 edition as the next instalment, so this is a long-running, established event rather than a one-off. On Being Bold also runs a "Dreaming Big" programme for Year 13 girls and a video library of New Zealand business leaders' career journeys.
Bold Steps is aimed at the women-in-leadership community across New Zealand business and public life. The 2026 programme draws a notably senior line-up of New Zealand leaders, including Spark CEO Jolie Hodson, Chris Liddell, Dame Joan Withers, Dame Therese Walsh, Antonia Watson, Dame Sophie Pascoe and international guest Jelena Dokic, facilitated across keynote and panel sessions plus four new concurrent 60-minute breakout sessions running 1pm to 2pm and repeating 2pm to 3pm.
The confirmed venue is the NZ International Convention Centre (NZICC), New Zealand's largest purpose-built convention centre, in central Auckland adjacent to the SkyCity precinct and within walking distance of the city's downtown hotels and the waterfront. Note for accuracy: the 10times/accrue aggregator listing placed the event at Spark Arena with 2025 dates; this is a mislisting, as the organiser's own site confirms the NZICC and the 3 December 2026 date. As a purpose-built conference facility, the NZICC is well suited to a plenary-plus-breakout format, unlike the concert and sports environment of Spark Arena.
Bold Steps is a well-established, high-calibre corporate conference that consistently attracts senior New Zealand business, public-sector and sporting figures, and its move to the NZICC puts it in the country's flagship convention venue. For the New Zealand MICE sector it is a strong example of a repeat, home-grown business event with national profile, drawing a leadership audience into central Auckland for a full day in early December.
Cited links supporting this report.
The FMA International 2026 Asia/Pacific Conference (its 15th) is confirmed for 2–4 December 2026, hosted by Massey University at its Auckland (Albany) campus.
The 15th Annual New Zealand Rail Conference 2026, organised by Informa, runs 2–3 December 2026 at the Grand Millennium Auckland.
The 2026 United States Business Summit is a one-day conference on the New Zealand–US economic relationship, held 4 December 2026 at Cordis, Auckland, presented by NZ Inc. and the Auckland Business Chamber.
The inaugural joint ASAANZ / SAANZ Conference for the Social Sciences, themed 'He kai kei aku ringa', runs 2–4 December 2026 at the University of Auckland's City Campus.
The New Zealand China Products Expo returns to Auckland on 20-22 November 2026 at the New Zealand International Convention Centre, a free-entry trade exhibition organised by the Canton Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand with the NZ China Trade Association. The 2025 edition drew more than 13,000 visitors and over 1,100 New Zealand professional buyers.
The 2026 NZES-SCBO Joint Conference is a five-day ecology and conservation-biology gathering co-hosted by the New Zealand Ecological Society and the Society for Conservation Biology Oceania at AUT in central Auckland, 30 November to 4 December 2026, on the theme 'Changing the Conversation - Ecology in a Shifting Political Landscape'.