New Year, New Professional Development

The start of a new year is a chance to review and refresh: where you want to grow, what you want to feel more confident doing, and what’s next in your career.

Want to go for that promotion? Want to confidently follow the finance chat in the team meeting, and actually know what accruals are? Want to give (or receive) feedback with confidence? Good news! Our new and revised courses are designed to be the stepping stones that help you get where you want to be in 2026.

Government and public policy

Calling all public servants! We’ve partnered with FrankCapability to bring you a range of new courses designed for the realities of public sector mahi.

Make 2026 the year you sharpen your communication, deliver advice that’s logically sound and error-free, and strengthen your decision-making and advising skills.

Business management and administration courses

We’ve run the numbers on our finance courses, and the message is clear: many learners want to build confidence reading budgets, interpreting financial results, and contributing to strategic decision-making. The challenge? They’re time-poor, and stepping away for a full day isn’t always realistic.

That’s why we’ve created three practical half-day options. Take one, or complete all three for a well-rounded foundation in finance:

We’re also excited to welcome Alannah Britz’s brand new course: Transforming Meetings. In this one-day workshop, Alannah introduces the Thinking Environment – a framework that supports people to think clearly, participate confidently, and contribute meaningfully. Get more from your meetings. And hopefully never hear “that could’ve been an email” again.

Communication and engagement

Following the success of the Capability @ Lunch session on this topic last year, we’re pleased to launch Giving and Receiving Feedback as a one-day course delivered by Laurna Munro. Through practical frameworks and hands-on exercises, you’ll build the skills to give and receive feedback clearly, respectfully, and confidently, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Laurna will also be delivering Working with Ambiguity, another new course offering. We know the shifting nature of the public sector and wider workforce often means operating without perfect information. As a mid-level or senior leader, it’s your role to keep things moving while the picture is still forming.

This course supports you to make small shifts in mindset and behaviour so ambiguity feels more manageable, and you can keep navigating uncertainty with clarity.

Strategy and design

The rise of AI, particularly large language models (LLMs), has changed how many of us work, and how we think about problem-solving. Design thinking specialist Matt Ellingsen has refreshed our iconic design thinking course with this in mind: meet Human-Centred Design Fundamentals in an AI world. Learn how you can, and should, work with AI as a partner while keeping human insight, creativity, and critical thinking at the centre.

Artificial intelligence

Building capability in artificial intelligence remains a priority for Aotearoa organisations, with 87% now using AI in some form. To support ethical and effective use of AI, we’ve expanded our suite of AI-focused courses with two new offerings.

Learn from data expert Kate Kolich how to use AI safely and ethically. Through practical guidance and real-world examples, you’ll build confidence in responsible data use, privacy considerations, and good decision-making when working with AI in your organisation. Find out more about the course here: Responsible Data & AI Use for Organisations

We’re also pleased to introduce AI-driven Qualitative Data Analysis, a new hands-on course delivered by Mary Ellen Gordon. Learn how you can synthesise large volumes of qualitative input (like survey responses, consultation submissions, and social media comments) without getting overwhelmed. You’ll learn how to use tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Copilot to speed up analysis and pull-out clear themes and insights, using software you already have.

Head the ‘Courses‘ tab on our website to browse our full course catalogue and find where you want to grow in 2026.

Find more programmes that we offer

We customise specific programmes for many New Zealand organisations – from short ‘in-house’ courses for employee groups, to executive education, or creating workshops within your existing programmes or events.