Museums Aotearoa Leadership Summit Auckland 2026
Museums Aotearoa Leadership Summit 2026
Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland | 25 - 26 May
We are pleased to invite you to our 2026 Leadership Summit, on 25-26 May. For leaders both current and aspiring, our Summit theme this year is Audience - focusing on engagement and retaining relevance, as well as current topics facing the sector.
Join directors, senior leaders and changemakers from across Aotearoa for two days of strategic thinking, connection and inspiration, hosted by Auckland Zoo and supported by Museum of Transport and Technology and Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tāmaki, this year’s Summit creates space to step beyond the day-to-day and engage with the big-picture issues shaping the future of our sector.
Monday morning will kick off with Museums Aotearoa CE, Jaenine Parkinson, and Keynote Speaker Victoria Travers, Head of Audience at Auckland Museum.
No matter the size of an organisation, without a clear audience strategy we risk trying to do everything for everyone, all the time. This spreads resources too thinly and limits what we can achieve for the people we serve. So how do we make strategic choices that better meet audience needs, focus our efforts, and maximise the impact of our funding? Victoria has recently developed an audience strategy for Tāmaki Paenga Hira / Auckland Museum. This strategy connects the organisation’s long-term vision, Path to 2029, with the audience-focused work carried out by the Museum every day. In her talk, she will explore how to identify target audiences, set meaningful, achievable, and measurable goals, and define what “audiences” means in the context of Auckland Museum.
Following a roundtable discussion, we'll hear from Auckland Deputy Mayor, Desley Simpson on a wider civic point of view, and her work on creating value for money. In the afternoon we discuss Mission Statements for engagement with MOTAT director, Liz Cotton, and from there we travel to MOTAT’s new Aviation Hall exhibition Forces of Flight. Following pre-dinner drinks at Auckland Art Gallery, we head to an optional dinner at Mezze Bar.
On Tuesday we will hear from Vincent Lipanovic from the Maritime Museum on Audience initiatives from a newly created Cultural Sector Alliance, and Leanne Wickham, Art Gallery Director at Whirinaki Whare Taonga, will talk to us about engaging the non-engaged visitor. Creative New Zealand Senior Advisor Helen Khoey will present findings from CNZ’s Audience Atlas - a research project that helps us understand the market for arts and culture. We’ll then dive into a discussion on freedom of expression with Director of Public Libraries New Zealand Mandy Henk, and Political Advisor and former Interim CE of Museums Aotearoa Sarah Maguire takes us through advocacy, ELC (formerly LEOTC), and how the coming Government budget is likely to affect the sector. The Summit wraps up mid-afternoon, with a guided tour of Auckland Zoo.
Don’t miss the Monday evening dinner — the unofficial highlight of the summit.
Agenda
Day 1 - Monday 25 May 2026, 10:00 am for 10:30 am start
10:00 am - Coffee, mix and mingle
10:30 am - Welcome
10:55 am - Museums Aotearoa CE Jaenine Parkinson: Introduction and Vision for the Future
11:30 am - Keynote: Auckland Museum Head of Audience Victoria Travers: Developing an Audience Strategy
12:05 pm - Lunch and networking
12:50 pm - Roundtable discussion: Leadership challenges and opportunities
1:30 pm - Auckland Deputy Mayor Desley Simpson: Civic perspective on GLAM sector
2:05 pm - Afternoon tea
2:20 pm - Director, Museum of Transport and Technology Liz Cotton: Mission to Engage
3:00 pm - MOTAT tour
5:30 pm - Pre-dinner drinks and networking, Auckland Art Gallery
6:30 pm - Dinner, Mezze Bar
Day 2 - Tuesday 26 May, 9:00 am for a 9:30 am start
9:00 am - Coffee and networking
9:30 am - Welcome, recap, and forward look
9:45 am - Whirinaki Whare Taonga Director Leanne Wickham: Engaging the Non-Engaged Visitor
10:20 am - Morning tea
10:30 am - Maritime Museum Director Vincent Lipanovic: Audience Initiatives from the Cultural Sector Alliance
11:05 am - Senior Adviser Development Creative New Zealand Helen Khoey: Audience Atlas, reseach on the market for Arts & Culture
11:40 am - Association of Public Library Managers Director Mandy Henk: Freedom of Expression
12:15 pm - Lunch and Networking
1:05 pm - Austen Advisory Founder Sarah Maguire: Advocacy and the 2026 Government Budget
1:35 pm - Roundtable discussion: Setting an agenda
2:00 pm - Guided tour of Auckland Zoo
3:00 pm - Close
Pricing
- Member Standard: $320*
- Non-member: $600*
- Optional dinner: $65.00
- *excl GST
Secure your place now — spaces are limited!
Register here
Jaenine Parkinson
Chief Executive, Museums Aotearoa
Jaenine Parkinson is the new Chief Executive of Museums Aotearoa. She brings extensive leadership experience across museums, galleries, and the arts and culture sector in Aotearoa New Zealand. Previously, Jaenine was Head of Art at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa,she has also held senior roles with Kāpiti Coast District Council as Arts, Museums and Heritage Advisor and at Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki as Exhibitions Project Coordinator. Earlier in her career, Jaenine was Programmes Manager at an arts and culture centre in Ottawa, Canada, and Director of the Blue Oyster Art Project Space in Dunedin. She was selected as a representative for the New Zealand Pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale. Jaenine holds a Master of Art History from the University of Auckland and has undertaken a range of independent curatorial and writing projects.
Victoria Travers
Director of Audience Engagement, Tāmaki Paenga Hira - Auckland War Memorial Museum
Victoria is responsible for developing and implementing strategies to enhance visitor experiences and strengthening connections between the Museum and its diverse audiences. She leads the Exhibitions, Learning & Public Programmes, Technology & Digital, and Marketing & Public Relations teams. As the previous Tumu Whakarae Chief Executive of Te whatu - Stardome Observatory & Planetarium, and former Head of Exhibitions at Auckland Museum, she brings to her role an extensive background in the cultural sector, with specialisations in environmental education and science communication. Born and raised in Tāmaki Makaurau, Victoria has a deep connection to the city and is committed to facilitating access for audiences to narratives, particularly those of, and above, the whenua on which we stand.
Desley Simpson JP
Ōrākei Ward Councillor & Deputy Mayor of Auckland
Desley Simpson is the Deputy Mayor of Auckland and the councillor for the Ōrākei Ward, first elected to the governing body in 2016 after chairing the Ōrākei Local Board and the Hobson Community Board. She was appointed Deputy Mayor by Mayor Wayne Brown following the 2022 elections and again in 2025. She serves across key council committees with a focus on the arts and culture, financial stewardship, infrastructure, and regional outcomes, having helped Auckland save over $1 billion through efficiencies in the last six years. She advocates for value for money investment and well-funded cultural, arts, business and sporting events, recognising the economic and cultural value to Auckland. She is a passionate and hard-working champion for Auckland.
Liz Cotton
Director of Museum Experience, Museum of Transport and Technology
Liz Cotton is an experienced museum and gallery sector leader based in Auckland with over 25 years of experience fostering community relationships and enhancing both collections and audience experiences in cultural institutions. Most recently, Liz has held senior roles including Director of Museum Experience at MOTAT and Director Museum & Arts at Te Whare Taonga o Waikato, where she led significant visitor experience transformations and team development. She prioritizes building strong relationships with museums and galleries, mana whenua, iwi, councils, and funders, integrating Te Tiriti principles throughout her work. Liz holds a Master of Arts in Ancient History, a Postgraduate Diploma in Museum Studies, and is a Getty Leadership Institute graduate. She is recognized as a leading voice in the cultural sector and serves on multiple governance boards including the International Council of Museums, Lotteries Environment & Heritage Funding Committee and Te Tuhi Contemporary Arts Trust.
Leanne Wickham
Board member
Leanne Wickham is the Director of Whirinaki, Upper Hutt, New Zealand. Leanne has 20 years' experience in working in the heritage, art and performing arts industry working in institutions such as Capital E Event and Exhibition Centre for Children, Petone Settlers Museum, and The Dowse Art Museum as well as managing large scale outdoor art events. She has been Director of Whirinaki, a suburban arts centre, for ten years, successfully tripling audiences. Her role as Director ranges from fundraising and partnership development to overseeing the exhibition and event programmes, as well as audience development. She firmly believes that small/medium sized institutions can punch well above their weight. Her passion is developing exhibitions and events with cross-generational appeal, and which embed a sense of fun and engagement for adults. In 2019 Leanne presented on the importance of Play at MuseumNext in Syndey and in 2025 was a keynote speaker at Museum Connections in Paris where she delivered a session on ‘Engaging the Non-enaged Museum Visitor’. She has been on the Board of Museums Aotearoa since 2025.
Vincent Lipanovich
Director, New Zealand Maritime Museum and Partnerships
A lifelong Aucklander, Vincent has been Director of the Hui Te Ananui a Tangaroa New Zealand Maritime Museum since 2015. At the museum - home to one of the nation’s most important heritage collections, which covers the breadth of its relationship with the sea - he works with his team to preserve and share the stories and taonga of Aotearoa’s maritime history. He is also Director of Partnerships for the museum’s parent organization Tataki Auckland Unlimited, managing governance, funding, and asset relationships with numerous external arts, culture and sporting organisations. Vincent has worked in the heritage and museum sector since 2006 in a variety of roles, most notably as Head of Visitor Services and Protocol at Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland War Memorial Museum, where a career highlight was a lead role in the 100th anniversary commemorations of the Anzac landings in 2015. Vincent was a Trustee of the New Zealand War Graves Trust from 2011-2018 and is currently the Chairs both the Contemporary Arts Foundation and the Cultural Sector Alliance in Auckland. Vincent is an Executive Council Member and Vice President of the International Congress of Maritime Museums.
Helen Khoey
Senior Advisor Development | Kaiwhakamahere Matua, Whakawhanake, Creative New Zealand | Toi Aotearoa
Helen has over thirty years’ audience development, marketing and management experience across the arts and cultural industry and has held roles that focus on developing audiences, artists and organisations, both in the UK and New Zealand. She is currently Senior Adviser Development at Creative New Zealand Toi Aotearoa and an advisory board member of Dance and Arts Therapy New Zealand. As well as her love for the arts, she’s a keen runner and meditator.
Mandy Henk
Executive Director, The Association of Public Library Managers Incorporated
Mandy Henk has been involved in community education for more than a decade, as a librarian, writer, and advocate for healthy, just, and vibrant digital communities. She has also authored a book, Economy, Ecology, Equity: The Path to a Carbon Neutral Library (ALA Editions 2014).
Sarah Maguire
Founder, Austen Advisory
Sarah prides herself on connecting people. She started Austen Advisory in 2024 to connect freelance advisors with clients who need their expertise. Sarah's background is in strategic communications, media relations, political management and campaigns. She is best known for her roles as Deputy Director of Communications to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Founding Director of Heft Communications, having also acted as Interim CEO at Museums Aotearoa. She is based in Wellington's Hutt Valley, where she lives with her husband and twins.