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15th Annual New Zealand Rail Conference 2026
2 – 3 December 2026
Grand Millennium AucklandAuckland, New Zealand
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DAY TWO

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DAY TWO
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8:45am - 8:50am
Admin and safety briefing
8:50am - 8:55am
OPENING | Morning Briefing
  • Russell McMullan - Owner Interface Manager, General Manager Assurance and Integration, City Rail Link Ltd
8:55am - 9:15am
KEYNOTE ADDRESS |
  • Mike Hargreaves - Group General Manager and Director of Land Transport, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
9:15am - 9:35am
KEYNOTE ADDRESS | Where is Rail Regulation Going in NZ?
  • Pelin Fantham - Head of Rail Safety Regulation, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
9:35am - 10:15am
PANEL DISCUSSION | Shaping the Next Era of NZ Rail Regulation
  • Co-regulatory flexibility vs. prescriptive standards: Which pathway best balances autonomy, certainty, and interoperability?
  • Can we reduce regulatory complexity while maintaining safety, and who should set the standards?
  • How does cost recovery impact different operator types?
  • What are the cost implications of prescriptive regulation, and how do we fund regulator capacity?
  • Expectation versus reality: what regulatory changes are genuinely feasible given infrastructure needs, competing interests, and political cycles?
  • Pelin Fantham - Head of Rail Safety Regulation, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
  • Thea Hannah - Group Manager Regulatory, KiwiRail
  • Stephanie Rowe - Executive Leader, Delivery, Ministry for Cities, Environment, Regions and Transport
  • Samantha Gain - Group Manager, Metlink
  • Lisa D'Oliveira - GM HSQESS, Auckland One Rail
  • Russell McMullan - Owner Interface Manager, General Manager Assurance and Integration, City Rail Link Ltd
10:15am - 10:35am
New Zealand’s Economic Outlook
  • Sharon Zollner - Chief Economist, ANZ
10:35am - 11:05am
Networking and refreshment break
11:05am - 11:25am
Regional Rail Update: Working Together for Better Outcomes
  • Regional links and the future of cross-boundary collaboration
  • Te Huia champion perspective
  • Public transport in the Waikato region
  • Cross-boundary coordination challenges and opportunities
  • Phil King - Director, Regional Transport Connections, Waikato Regional Council
11:25am - 12:05pm
PANEL DISCUSSION | Reviving Regional Rail Across Aotearoa
  • Regional connectivity and national vision
  • Connecting the Golden Triangle: Auckland, Hamilton, and Tauranga
  • Bringing back South Island passenger rail
  • Building momentum for a national passenger rail network
  • Securing sustainable funding for regional rail
  • The 10-year vision for regional rail
  • Phil King - Director, Regional Transport Connections, Waikato Regional Council
  • Fiona Abbott - Senior Manager Assets and Infrastructure, Metlink
  • Paul Callister - Treasurer and Co-ordinator, The Future is Rail
12:05pm - 12:25pm
CASE STUDY |Not All E-Bikes Are Equal: Managing Lithium-Ion Battery Risks Through a Systems Safety Lens
  • Paul Cockerton - Health, Safety and Wellbeing Continuous Improvement Lead, KiwiRail and Former Lead Advisor Rail Safety Regulator, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
12:25pm - 12:45pm
CASE STUDY |Delivering CLR Programme Readiness in the Context of Major Public Transport Reform and Organisational Change
  • Alan Trestour - Head of CRL Delivery, CRL Readiness Programme Director, Auckland Transport
12:45pm - 1:00pm
Infrastructure Innovation Spotlight
1:00pm - 1:50pm
Lunch and networking break
1:50pm - 2:10pm
CASE STUDY |The Risks We Keep Finding: What Rail Design Reviews Reveal About Project Delivery
  • Divya Rajasekaran - Engineering Team Leader - Civil, Infrastructure, KiwiRail
2:10pm - 2:30pm
CASE STUDY |Before the Public Arrives - Using Emergency Operations Testing to Discover What Readiness Really Requires
  • Charlie Matthews - Head of Emergency Testing and Emergency Services Engagement, City Rail Link Ltd
2:30pm - 2:50pm
CASE STUDY |Digital Engineering and Infrastructure Update
2:50pm - 3:10pm
CASE STUDY | Maintenance Transformation - How Metro Networks Maintain High Availability while Preserving Asset Integrity
3:10pm - 3:30pm
PC 120 and Rapid Transit Integration
  • Auckland's Housing Urban Development Plan
  • CRL as a key catalyst for housing development
  • Significant investment returns through TOD
  • Megan Tyler - Director of Policy, Planning and Governance, Auckland Council
3:30pm - 4:15pm
CLOSING DISCUSSION |Unlocking New Zealand's ToD Potential
  • Who should own the outcome of Transit-Oriented Development in New Zealand?
  • Breaking down silos between land use and transit planning
  • Moving beyond transport/freight funding to unlock ToD finance and investment
  • From feasibility to delivery: Overcoming barriers to actual construction
  • Ensuring ToD delivers for communities and reflects New Zealand's unique cultural context
  • Megan Tyler - Director of Policy, Planning and Governance, Auckland Council
  • David Hampton - System Planning Manager, NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi
  • Thomas Nash - Consulting Partner, Agite Consulting Ltd
4:15pm - 4:20pm
Closing remarks from the Chair
4:20pm - 4:30pm
END OF CONFERENCE
6:30pm - 10:30pm
NZ RAIL EXCELLENCE AWARDS DINNER |
DAY ONE
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