THE NZ PODCASTING SUMMIT 2026

9am: Event Opens (30m)

Event and registration desk open. Sign in and uplift your summit pack at the registration desk. Help yourself to tea and coffee. Meet your fellow delegates.

9.30am: Welcome #1 - AUT (10m)

A few words from Dr Rufus McEwan (Deputy Head, School of Communication Studies)

9.40am: Welcome #2 – NZ Podcasting Summit (10m)

A few words from Summit HQ, before introducing your event host Ellie Marsden

9:50 am: Session #1 (55m)
RØDE presents ‘The State of Audio in 2026’
Richard Palmer (VP Market Development & Strategy, Triton Digital, APAC)

Richard Palmer presents ‘The State of Audio in 2026’ (Asia-Pacific edition), highlighting the key trends, threats, and opportunities shaping podcasting’s next phase. Themes include why audience fit matters more than scale, when video podcasting works (and when it doesn’t), how to use metrics that genuinely drive growth, and what it takes to move from zero to sustainable podcast revenue — including an insider’s view of how audio buyers think and brief.

Thanks to RØDE; great sound is the foundation of every podcast, and RØDE has a range of solutions to fit your needs and budget.

10:45 am: Morning Tea (15m)

11:00 am: Session #2 (45m)
’Mic Breaker’

Hosted by The World Is !@#$%*! podcast host and stand-up comedian Alan McElroy. Mic Breaker. It's like musical chairs without the music. Pass the parcel without the parcel. Speed dating without the dating. Now is the time to meet as many of your fellow delegates as possible. Trust and follow the process and the Alan.

11:45 am: Session #3 (60m)
Free FM presents ‘Mic Drop Marathon’

Now Alan has broken the ice, we’ll continue to get to know each other before having some lunch. It’s the return of herding 25 hosts and guests for a single podcast episode. You can join in or watch from the sidelines, up to you.

Thanks to Free FM 89.0; independent community media based in the Waikato, and part of the Community Access Media Alliance.

Listen to the 2025 Mic Drop Marathon here.

12.45 pm: Lunch (60m)

1:45 pm: Session #4 (55m)
’Creative Machinas: Podcasting & Artificial Intelligence’

A panel session with Justin Matthews & Nigel Horrocks (Creative Machinas). Moderated by Lewis Tennant (Oopsie NZ). Lewis reflects on utilising AI when producing the documentary podcast series Oopsie NZ, looking to Justin and Nigel for expert feedback, advice, and recommendations when working with AI, as well as discussing AI more broadly (transformative power, ethical challenges, technical aspects, societal impact, and governance).

2:40 pm: Session #5 (55m)
’Podcasting for Social Change’

A panel session with Paul Barlow (Paul… The Other One) & Matthew Tukaki (Waaeta News). Moderated by Cate Prestidge (Wintec). This panel explores how podcasting can be a powerful tool for social change, from amplifying underrepresented voices to building engaged communities and influencing public conversation. Panelists will discuss impact-driven storytelling, ethical practice, audience trust, and the realities of sustaining purpose-led podcast projects.

3:35 pm: Break (20m)

3:55 pm: Session #6 (55m)
‘Video Killed the Podcast Star (!) (?)’

A panel session with Jaimee Poipoi (The Art of Entertaining) and Roo Reihana-Wilson (Kaputī with the Cousins), moderated by Ryan Lamont (Acast). This panel explores best practice and creative approaches to video podcasting, and when (or whether) video genuinely enhances a podcast project. Panelists unpack the key differences between audio-only and audio-video production and storytelling—from workflow and audience considerations to challenges and trade-offs—before tackling the question: what even counts as a podcast in 2026?

4:50 pm: Event Ends