Leaders’ Summits 2026
Join co-op and mutual leaders at the biennial Leaders’ Summits.
[ Summit Partners ]
The next 50 years of leadership starts now.
Co-ops and mutuals last almost 5x longer than companies. And every organisation that is built to last eventually faces the same questions.
Who will lead next?
And how will we fund the future without losing what makes us different?
The Cooperative Leaders’ Summits 2026 bring together people grappling with those questions from every angle - directors, chief executives, senior leaders, emerging leaders, co-op member-shareholders, business owners, advisors and practitioners working in and around cooperatives and mutuals across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Whether you are navigating board renewal, leadership succession, intergenerational ownership, capital constraints, talent attraction, or long-term purpose, these Summits are designed for you.
[ cooperatives build a better world ]
Two defining issues are shaping the future of cooperative and member-owned enterprise.
Capital
How to fund growth, resilience and innovation while protecting member ownership and control.
Succession
How leadership, governance, culture and ownership transfer across generations without losing the cooperative difference.
From farms and orchards to retail networks, health services, financial institutions and supply chains, organisations are navigating change at scale. Some are growing, some are consolidating, and many are asking how to honour their founding purpose while adapting to a very different world.
If you care about long-term ownership, resilient leadership, and businesses that keep value rooted in communities, this is your room.
The Leaders’ Summits are a space to step back, think long, and learn together: across sectors, roles and generations, about how we ensure cooperative and member-owned enterprises continue to thrive for decades to come.
Christchurch Leaders’ Summit Programme 24 March
Description
0830 - 0900
Registration and networking
0900 - 0915
Host welcome and opening; the 50 year frame
0915 - 0950
Global perspective: the cooperative advantage for the coming 50 years
Recorded conversation with Professor Dionne Pohler & Dr Marc-André Pigeon
International insights on capital design, governance and long-term resilience.
0950 - 1000
Reflection and reset
1000 - 1015
Live Q&A with international experts Professor Dionne Pohler & Dr Marc-André Pigeon
Moderated by Saya Wahrlich
Practical implications for NZ boards and CEOs
1015 - 1035
Morning tea and networking
1035 - 1120
Succession: The ownership transition challenge
Panel discussion Rabobank & Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand (AMINZ)
1105 - 1120
Capital for the next 50 years: capital landscape lightning briefings from NZX and Sharesies Business
1120 - 1210
Panel: Rethinking capital for cooperatives
Panelists: Jeremy Anderson, NZX; Susannah Batley, Sharesies Business; Mike O’Connor, O’Connor Partners
1210 - 1255
Lunch and networking
1255 - 1330
Political perspective: guest address and conversation on community wealth building, intergenerational thinking and the wellbeing economy
Qiulae Wong, Leader of the Opportunity Party
1330 - 1405
Next generation reactor panel - what will keep young leaders in co-ops?
Liese Reader, Marlborough Grape Growers Co-op; Isabel Schmahl, Ravensdown and Cooperative Business NZ Emerging Leader of the Year 2025
1410 - 1430
Closing commitments - the next 50 years
Auckland Leaders’ Summit Programme 26 March
Description
0830 - 0900
Registration and networking
0900 - 0915
Host welcome and opening; the 50 year frame
0915 - 0950
Global perspective: the cooperative advantage for the coming 50 years
Recorded conversation with Professor Dionne Pohler & Dr Marc-André Pigeon
International insights on capital design, governance and long-term resilience.
0950 - 1000
Reflection and reset
1000 - 1015
Live Q&A with international experts Professor Dionne Pohler & Dr Marc-André Pigeon
Moderated by Saya Wahrlich
Practical implications for NZ boards and CEOs
1015 - 1045
Capital and ownership in New Zealand
Guest address: Hon Barbara Edmonds, Spokesperson for Finance and Economy, Savings and Investment, MP for Mana, Labour
1045 - 1105
Morning tea and networking
1105 - 1120
Capital for the next 50 years: capital landscape lightning briefings from NZX and Sharesies Business
1120 - 1210
Panel: Rethinking capital for cooperatives
Panelists: Jeremy Anderson, NZX; Susannah Batley, Sharesies Business; Mike O’Connor, O’Connor Partners
1210 - 1255
Lunch and networking
1255 - 1335
Succession: a structured conversation on governance, ownership and continuity
Rabobank & Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand (AMINZ)
1335 - 1410
Next generation reactor panel - what will keep young leaders in co-ops?
Liese Reader, Marlborough Grape Growers Co-op; Isabel Schmahl, Ravensdown and Cooperative Business NZ Emerging Leader of the Year 2025
1410 - 1430
Closing commitments - the next 50 years
Summit speakers and panelists
-

Hon. Barbara Edmonds [Auckland Summit]
Finance spokesperson for the Labour Party | MP for Mana
Hon Barbara Edmonds is the proud Member of Parliament for Mana, as well as the Finance Spokesperson for the Labour Party. The Mana electorate that covers Linden, Porirua and Raumati and Paraparaumu East.Since becoming an MP in 2020, she served as the Minister of Internal Affairs, Economic Development and Minister for Pacific Peoples as well as Associate Minister for Health, Housing and Cyclone Recovery.
Before her promotion to Cabinet, she also served as the Associate Whip for the Labour Caucus and Chair of the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee.
Before Parliament, Barbara acted as a senior advisor to Ministers under successive governments and was a key contributor to the Government’s law reforms following the March 15 Terror Attacks. Barbara was also heavily involved in the Government’s tax, social policy, small business, and economic response to COVID-19.
Before the Beehive, Minister Edmonds worked in the Policy and Strategy, and Legal and Technical Services areas of Inland Revenue as well as private medical, and fire and general insurance industry.
Barbara has been moulded and shaped by quintessential Labour values. The safety nets provided by previous Labour governments meant that as a child, she never fell through the cracks. She wants to use these values to make Aotearoa the best place for children to grow up.
Barbara lives in Titahi Bay with her husband Chris and their eight children. When she's not in Parliament, you can find Barbara actively engaging with her constituents, championing their concerns, and striving to create better opportunities for everyone in Mana and Aotearoa. She is passionate about equitable access to healthcare, economic policy that is people-centred and opportunities for New Zealanders to get ahead.
-

Qiulae Wong [Christchurch Summit]
Leader, The Opportunity Party
Qiulae is the Leader of the Opportunity Party and passionate about building a more sustainable, productive future for the next generation of New Zealanders.Qiulae previously worked as a sustainability consultant at KPMG, was the Country Director for the B Corp movement in New Zealand, and advanced sustainable practices in the fashion industry while living in the UK for nearly a decade.
Now, Qiulae is focused on bringing her experience to Parliament to develop long-term solutions for the country’s toughest challenges.
Qiulae is representing Opportunity's platform for the 2026 election which consists of stopping divisive politics, building the next economy, and restoring nature.
-

Professor Dionne Pohler
ILR School, Cornell University | Former Co-operative Retailing System Chair in Co-operative Governance (Canada)
Professor Dionne Pohler is an internationally recognised expert on co-operative governance and performance. She is based at Cornell University’s ILR School and previously held the Co-operative Retailing System Chair in Co-operative Governance at the University of Saskatchewan’s Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy and the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives. In this unique role, she worked closely with boards, executives and policymakers to understand why some co-operatives thrive while others fail, translating research into practical insights for resilient and values-based leadership.Her research, including the landmark analysis of the Co-op Atlantic collapse, explores the governance, strategy and accountability dynamics that determine whether co-operatives adapt or unravel in times of market disruption and regulatory change.
Dionne’s work is relevant across all co-operative and mutual models, including agricultural and producer co-ops, consumer networks, buying groups and financial mutuals. She provides evidence-based and real-world lessons for directors and leaders who want to safeguard co-operative purpose, renew governance and build organisations that endure.
-

Dr Marc-André Pigeon
Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy, University of Saskatchewan | Director, Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives
Marc-André Pigeon is the director of the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives and an assistant professor in the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy (JSGS). His research centres around the study of co-operatives, governance, and money and banking.Before joining JSGS, Dr. Pigeon worked in policy roles at the Canadian Credit Union Association, as an advisor at the Department of Finance, a lead analyst for two Parliamentary committees (Senate Banking, Trade and Commerce; House of Commons Finance), an economist at the Levy Economics Institute, and a business reporter for Bloomberg Business News.
-

Susannah Batley
GM Sharesies Business
Susannah leads the B2B function of Sharesies across Australia and New Zealand. Serving over 600+ companies and 40% of listed NZX companies, she oversees teams specialising in ECM activities, employee equity and registry programmes and bespoke cooperative offerings across both listed and private companies.
She is passionate about innovating to improve outcomes for both companies and retail investors. Prior to Sharesies, Susannah spent seven years in investment banking, advising Australasian and international clients on M&A and capital raising, both private and listed issuers. She has also spent time in-house corporate finance at Meridian and is currently an independent Director of Delivereasy.
-

Mike O'Connor
Managing Director, O’Connor Partners
Mike is managing director of O'Connor Partners, a firm of consulting financial analysts based in Ōtautahi Christchurch. O'Connor Partners consult extensively to New Zealand co-operatives, particularly around capital and governance structures.
Mike has been described by the CEO of one of New Zealand's largest agribusiness co-ops as 'one of the country’s foremost economists as it relates to the cooperative as a performance vehicle and as a capital structure for the pursuit of common goals for investors'.
He periodically lectures on the economics of co-operatives at post-graduate level at the University of Canterbury.
-
Jeremy Anderson
GM - Listings, Information Services, and Environmental Markets, NZX
Jeremy joined NZX in March 2017. He has significant experience working in the agribusiness, technology and financial service sectors across Australia and New Zealand. Prior to joining NZX, Jeremy led and executed Vodafone New Zealand’s agribusiness strategy.
Since working for NZX he has led the NZX Agri business, established and led the Information Services business, Markets Development and is now General Manager, Listings, Information Services, and Environmental Markets. His areas of expertise include; leadership, strategy development, sales management and innovation.
-

Liese Reader
Director Karaka Estate Wines | Associate Director Marlborough Grape Growers Cooperative
Liese Reader has a background in commercial law and, in recent years, has focused her energy on her business interests and raising her family. She is a Director of Karaka Estate Wines, which she recently co-launched, and is actively involved in several family businesses along the Kaikōura Coast. Liese owns a vineyard in Marlborough and lives on the family farm with her husband and two children. She operates a crayfish café called Karaka Lobster.
Alongside the day-to-day responsibilities of farm and business life, Liese serves as an Associate Director of the Marlborough Grape Growers Cooperative, supporting local growers, focusing on succession of the younger generations in the Agri sector. With a foundation in law and hands-on experience across business, wine, and food, Liese brings a practical, grounded perspective and a genuine passion for Marlborough and its future.
-

Isabel Schmahl
Cooperative Business NZ Board Observer | Agri Manager, Ravensdown
As winner of the 2025 Emerging Leader of the Year, Isabel joins the Cooperative Business NZ board for 2026.
She brings experience being involved in local committees of the Institute of Rural Professionals and NZ Young Farmers’ Clubs. Isabel grew up in Germany, Russia and Turkey and has spent nearly 10 years in the NZ agricultural sector with a focus on sheep & beef, dairy, animal genetics and nutrient management.
Summit venues and access
Auckland Summit venue
Auckland Leaders’ Summit venue
Deloitte, L15, 1 Queen Street, Auckland Central
26 March 2026 9am - 2:30pm
Best access is via the ground floor lifts on the Quay Street entrance to the Deloitte Centre. Alternative access is via lifts on Level 1 of Commercial Bay, past Whitcoulls and toward the InterContinental hotel reception area.
Christchurch Summit venue
Christchurch Leaders’ Summit venue
TSB Space,Tūranga, 60 Cathedral Square, Christchurch Central
24 March 2026
9am - 2:30pm
Thanks to our Summit Partners
We sincerely thank our Summit Partners for their contribution to making the biennial Leaders’ Summits a success, and for their support of co-ops and mutuals across New Zealand.
principal partner, auckland