RIAA brings its Aotearoa conference back to Cordis Auckland for a 350-plus delegate day on 22 September

RIAA Conference Aotearoa NZ 2026 is a one-day responsible investment conference scheduled for 22 September 2026 at Cordis, Auckland, according to the Responsible Investment Association Australasia's own event website, which was live at the time of writing. The venue was absent from the directory listing until this dig; RIAA's page states plainly that the conference will be held at Cordis Auckland.

The conference is organised by RIAA, a not-for-profit membership body, and is described on its site as the largest gathering of the responsible investment community in Aotearoa New Zealand. The organiser's registration platform lists the event running from 8am to 6pm on Tuesday 22 September 2026 and states that the conference brings together more than 350 leaders from investors to financial advisers, policymakers, opinion leaders and sustainability professionals — a figure repeated on the GoodReturns financial adviser events diary.

The programme, per RIAA's own overview page, will cover the systemic risks of AI, geopolitics, greenwashing, modern slavery, sustainable bonds and electrification, delivered as a full day of keynotes, panels and workshops. A dedicated financial adviser stream is built into the day, and the programme will include recognition of the 2026 New Zealand Responsible Investment Leaders and Responsible Investors. RIAA notes detailed sessions and speakers were still being confirmed at the time of writing.

Who runs it

RIAA describes itself, on its own website, as a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to ensuring capital is aligned with achieving a healthy society, environment and economy. It states it has more than 500 members representing A$76 trillion in assets under management, making it, in its own words, the largest and most active network of people and organisations engaged in responsible, ethical and impact investing across Australia and New Zealand.

RIAA runs conferences in both Australia and New Zealand; this is the New Zealand edition, distinct from the Australian programme, and the organiser's own conference page confirms the New Zealand date and Auckland venue directly. RIAA's page also cites its 2025 New Zealand conference attendee base as an indicator of its standing locally, naming asset owners including AMP Wealth Management NZ, Generate KiwiSaver Scheme and the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation; asset managers including ANZ Investment Management, BT Funds Management NZ, Pathfinder Asset Management and Harbour Asset Management; and advice firms including JBWere NZ, Forsyth Barr and Craigs Investment Partners.

Who it's for

According to RIAA's own conference page, the event is designed for institutional investors, KiwiSaver and superannuation providers, asset managers, banks and insurers; financial advisers, wealth managers and advice firms; investment platforms, product providers, and ESG data, index and ratings providers; iwi and Māori investment organisations; corporate sustainability, finance and reporting leaders; government, policy, regulatory and standards bodies; stewardship and sustainable finance specialists, consultants and academics; and community trusts, foundations, philanthropic and impact investors.

The venue

Cordis, Auckland is confirmed as the venue by RIAA's own event page. According to the hotel's own website, Cordis is a five-star property at 83 Symonds Street in the Auckland CBD, with 642 rooms and suites and 20 dedicated event venues. The hotel's largest space, the Great Room, is described on its own site as one of the largest pillarless ballrooms in Auckland — a 1,160-square-metre venue that can host a banquet for up to 800 guests — while the Crystal Room can seat a theatre-style conference of up to 300. RIAA's materials do not specify which room will host the 2026 conference.

A single-day format with an 8am start and 6pm finish concentrates delegate arrival into a tight morning window, and the Symonds Street location places the venue on the ridge above the CBD rather than in the waterfront hotel cluster — a practical consideration for a largely Auckland-based finance audience travelling in on the day.

Why it matters for New Zealand business events

A single-sector conference organised by an established membership body, returning to one of Auckland's larger hotel conference venues, represents recurring, dependable business events activity for the city. RIAA's own figures point to an audience in the hundreds drawn from banks, KiwiSaver and superannuation providers, wealth managers, iwi and Māori investment organisations, and regulators — a cross-section of New Zealand's institutional finance sector convening for a full working day.

The event also sits within a wider pattern of responsible investment and sustainable finance gatherings being staged in Auckland, reflecting the city's role as the anchor for New Zealand's financial services conference calendar.