US BUSINESS SUMMIT 2026

THE AMERICAN MOMENT

How New Zealand wins in the new US Economy

★★★★

Friday, December 4, 2026

The United States is undergoing a profound economic and business transformation. President Donald Trump’s second term is reshaping trade and industrial policy, while advances in artificial intelligence, a drive to rebuild domestic manufacturing, the race for technological leadership and changing global supply chains are redefining where investment flows and how businesses compete.

For New Zealand, this is both a challenge and an opportunity. Tariffs and shifting trade rules are creating new uncertainties, but the US remains one of our most important economic partners, offering significant opportunities across technology, AI, investment, aerospace, agribusiness, education and high-value services.

With two-way trade reaching NZ$30.3 billion in 2025, the relationship now extends well beyond exports. The question is how New Zealand businesses can position themselves to benefit from America’s next wave of innovation, capital investment and economic growth — while navigating a more transactional and strategically contested trading environment.

The American Moment will bring together business leaders, policymakers, investors, diplomats and technology experts to examine the forces reshaping the US economy and what they mean for New Zealand. From AI and advanced technology to investment, energy, defence and the future of global trade, the Summit will explore where the opportunities lie, how the rules of engagement are changing, and what New Zealand must do to compete, attract capital and build enduring commercial partnerships.

This is the forum for New Zealand business to understand the new American landscape — and determine how to win in it.

Featuring

Richard Fontaine
CEO, Center for a New American Security

Christopher Liddell CNZM
Anthropic board member

View from the Top
Leaders from Air New Zealand, the University of Auckland, Zespri, MPI and Kea Aerospace reveal how they’re recalibrating US strategies – navigating a more complex landscape through partnerships, technology and on-the-ground insight.
Navigating Trump’s America
Professor Dan Schnur breaks down President Trump’s second term and what it means for politics, trade and security. He’s joined by Ambassador Rosemary Banks and AmCham Australia CEO April Palmerlee.
Trade and Turbulence
With US tariffs on New Zealand exports now at 15%, Vangelis Vitalis, Simon Tucker and Sarah Salmond explore how exporters can respond – from protectionism and diversification to reshaping New Zealand’s position in a shifting global system.
Building a Unicorn
Facebook Marketplace builder Bowen Pan and Halter CEO Craig Piggott share the realities of scaling globally – the mindset, hussle, and cultural translation required to win in the US market.
The Business Pulse check
Kiwi entrepreneur Claudia Batten and Sarah Robb O’Hagan deliver a high-energy conversation on leadership, AI adaptation and navigating volatility, drawing on two decades of top-tier US business experience.
Delivering the High-Growth Dividend
MOD O’Donnell talks strategy and execution with Auror’s Phil Thomson and Serato’s Young Ly – unpacking what powers high-growth Kiwi companies in the US and beyond.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP IN A CHANGING WORLD

The New Zealand–United States relationship is entering a consequential new phase. President Donald Trump’s second administration is reshaping the rules of global trade, accelerating the use of tariffs as an economic and strategic instrument, and redrawing the boundaries between commerce, technology and national security. For New Zealand, the challenge is to protect market access, strengthen its US partnership and identify where a rapidly changing American economy creates new opportunities for growth.

The 2026 US Business Summit will examine how New Zealand businesses can navigate this new environment — from shifting trade policy and supply chains to the accelerating impact of artificial intelligence, the contest for technological leadership and the growing strategic importance of energy, critical infrastructure and advanced manufacturing.

With the US midterm elections approaching in November, the Summit will also consider the political forces shaping the American economic agenda, the durability of Trump’s policy direction and what the evolving balance of power in Washington could mean for New Zealand exporters, investors and strategic interests.

AI, POWER AND THE NEW ECONOMIC ORDER

Beyond tariffs, a deeper transformation is under way. Artificial intelligence is becoming a defining battleground for economic competitiveness, national security and global influence. The United States is seeking to maintain its technological edge as competition intensifies over AI models, computing power, data centres, energy supply, investment and the talent required to turn innovation into economic advantage.

For New Zealand, these shifts raise urgent questions. How can local businesses harness AI to lift productivity and compete internationally? Where are the opportunities to attract investment, build technology partnerships and participate in emerging value chains? And how should businesses respond as governments increasingly treat technology, energy and critical infrastructure as strategic assets?

The Summit will bring these questions into the boardroom, examining the practical decisions business leaders must make as geopolitics increasingly shapes commercial strategy.

TURNING UNCERTAINTY INTO OPPORTUNITY

The US relationship extends well beyond traditional trade. Technology, agribusiness, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, energy, space and defence offer opportunities to deepen commercial connections and broaden New Zealand’s economic engagement with America.

But success will require more than waiting for policy uncertainty to settle. Businesses must reassess risk, diversify markets and supply chains, invest in innovation and understand how Washington’s priorities are changing the terms of international competition.

The 2026 US Business Summit will explore how New Zealand can navigate the new American economic order — protecting its interests, strengthening strategic relationships and positioning Kiwi businesses to win in a world where technology, trade and geopolitics are increasingly inseparable.

AGENDA

6.30AM – REGISTRATION

7.15AM – CALL TO ORDER

MCTim McCready

7.17AM – WELCOME TO THE 5th UNITED STATES BUSINESS SUMMIT

Summit Co-ChairFran O’Sullivan, Managing Director, NZINC

7.20AM – OPENING ADDRESS TBC

Rt Hon Christopher Luxon / Rt Hon Chris Hipkins (invited)

ModeratorFran O’Sullivan, Summit Co-Chair

7.50AM – WHERE NEW ZEALAND CAN WIN?

The United States relationship is entering a new phase. Trade, investment, technology, energy, defence and Pacific security are increasingly interconnected, while American businesses and government are looking for resilient supply chains and trusted partners.

U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Gabrielle Cowan scopes opportunities which offer promise for Kiwi businesses in a fast-moving America.

8.15AM – THE TRADE TEST: HON TODD MCCLAY AND HON DAMIEN O’CONNOR IN CONVERSATION WITH SIMON BRIDGES

New Zealand’s trading future is being reshaped by geopolitical rivalry, protectionism and the contest for economic influence between the United States and China. For a small, export-dependent economy, the stakes could hardly be higher.

In this fireside chat, Trade Minister Todd McClay and former Trade Minister Damien O’Connor bring competing political perspectives and shared experience at the coalface of New Zealand’s trade diplomacy to a discussion about how New Zealand can navigate the new paradigm.

HostSimon Bridges, Summit co-chair and CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber

Keynote Session

8.45AM – CHRISTOPHER LIDDELL AND RICHARD FONTAINE: AI, TRUMP AND THE BATTLE FOR AMERICA’S ECONOMIC FUTURE

Artificial intelligence is becoming the defining contest of economic power, technological leadership and national security. As Washington and Silicon Valley navigate the Trump presidency and the outcome of the November 2026 midterm elections, Christopher Liddell and Richard Fontaine offer a rare combination of insider access and strategic insight into how America’s AI ambitions will shape the global order — and where New Zealand fits.

Liddell sits at the intersection of these forces. A former White House Deputy Chief of Staff under Donald Trump, former CFO of Microsoft and Vice Chair of General Motors, and now a board member of Anthropic, the AI company behind Claude, he brings a distinctive perspective on the business, governance and geopolitical stakes of the AI revolution.

With AI investment accelerating and competition intensifying between the United States and China, Liddell can illuminate the critical questions facing business and policymakers: who will control the next generation of AI capabilities; how will governments balance innovation, safety and strategic advantage; and how will the Trump administration’s policy choices affect the companies, capital and infrastructure driving the AI revolution?

Fontaine, chief executive of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), brings deep expertise in US foreign policy, national security and strategic competition. His perspective is particularly relevant as artificial intelligence becomes a defining arena of geopolitical rivalry, linking the rise of companies such as Anthropic to questions of national security, AI governance, technological leadership and the balance of power between the United States and China.

Together, they will explore how the outcome of the midterm elections will influence America’s economic and strategic direction, the race to lead the AI revolution, and the intersection of Silicon Valley, Washington and global security.

For New Zealand, the implications extend well beyond Silicon Valley. How can New Zealand businesses capture opportunities from the AI revolution? What will shifting US technology policy mean for investment, market access and international partnerships? And how should a small, trade-dependent nation navigate a world in which AI capability, energy security, geopolitics and economic influence are becoming inseparable?

This is a conversation about who will shape the next American economy, who will lead the AI age, and how New Zealand can position itself to win.

DiscussantSimon Bridges

Session ChairFran O’Sullivan

10.15AM – MORNING TEA

10.45AM – EXECUTING AI: FROM STRATEGY TO REAL-WORLD IMPACT

New Zealand’s challenge is turning AI ambition into measurable productivity gains, smarter decision-making and new sources of growth.

11.45AM – THE PROTEIN OPPORTUNITY — FEEDING AMERICA’S NEW APPETITE

The United States is becoming an increasingly important market for high-value protein, from sports nutrition and healthy ageing to functional foods, protein-enriched dairy and next-generation ingredients. As American consumers and food manufacturers seek new ways to boost protein intake, New Zealand’s dairy and red-meat sectors have an opportunity to move beyond commodity exports and capture greater value through premium ingredients, innovation and science-led nutrition.

This session will examine where demand is growing, how US food companies are reformulating products around protein, and what it takes for New Zealand producers to win in a highly competitive market. With Fonterra’s dairy-protein expertise and Silver Fern Farms’ premium grass-fed red-meat proposition, the discussion will explore how New Zealand can turn its agricultural strengths into a bigger share of America’s evolving protein economy.

12.30PM – LUNCH & NETWORKING

1.45PM – DEFENCE, SPACE AND CRITICAL MINERALS: WHERE NEW ZEALAND CAN WIN

America is entering a new era of strategic industrial investment. Rising defence spending, the drive to expand domestic weapons and munitions production, the militarisation of space and the push to reduce dependence on rival-controlled supply chains are reshaping the US economy.

The commercial implications extend well beyond traditional defence contractors. Critical minerals, advanced materials, aerospace components, autonomous systems, AI, satellite technologies, secure communications and resilient energy supplies are becoming essential to America’s national security and industrial competitiveness.

For New Zealand, the opportunity is to identify where its companies can become valuable suppliers, technology partners and investors in this changing landscape.

2.30PM – KIWIS WINNING IN AMERICA: FOUNDER LESSONS FROM BUILDING HIGH-GROWTH BUSINESSES IN THE UNITED STATES

New Zealand Trade Commissioner Charlie Haddrell supports a 70-strong portfolio of Kiwi technology companies from his base in San Francisco. In this session he talks strategy and execution with the leaders of three high-growth companies.

David Pene, Co-founder of Carepatron – an AI native, Māori-led healthcare practice management software provider

Alyona Medelyan, Founder, Thematic

Leon Kirkbeck, Founder, Augusto

ModeratorCharlie Haddrell, New Zealand Trade Commissioner

3.15PM – AFTERNOON TEA

Case Study

3.30PM – LEAFT FOODS: TURNING LEAVES INTO THE NEXT GENERATION OF PROTEIN

Christchurch-based Leaft Foods is developing a breakthrough approach to plant protein, extracting Rubisco — the world’s most abundant protein — from green leaves to create a highly functional, sustainable ingredient for food manufacturers. The company’s Leaft Blade ready-to-drink protein product has earned a place on TIME magazine’s Best Inventions of 2026 list, providing international recognition for a New Zealand innovation years in the making.

At the heart of the venture is co-founder Maury Leyland. She co-founded Leaft with her husband, Synlait founder John Penno.