Panel discussion and event reflections - AI in NZ Public Sector Regulatory Practice
Public sector leaders from WorkSafe, PCO, DOC and ERO swap notes on actually using AI - turns out 'start small and share openly' beats waiting for permission.
Key takeaway the real governance lessons are coming from the agencies already doing it.
This MartinJenkins panel brings together public sector leaders from WorkSafe, the Parliamentary Counsel Office, the Department of Conservation and the Education Review Office to reflect on AI in New Zealand's public sector regulatory practice. Rather than theory, the kōrero is built around the real-world pilots each agency has actually run.
The throughline is practical: governance lessons learned on the ground, and a shared instinct to start small and share openly across agencies rather than each department reinventing the wheel. For the public service, where getting AI right carries real stakes, that cross-agency candour is the valuable part.
For New Zealand, it's a useful signal that the regulators themselves are experimenting thoughtfully - testing where AI helps, being honest about the hard governance questions, and building a shared playbook instead of working in silos.
“Turns out the best way to govern AI is to use it first - then tell the other agencies what happened.” — The Main Anchor, The 6 O’Clock News