Our TechWeek 2026 roundtable: Kiwi People Ops leaders discuss AI

Every May, New Zealand’s tech community comes together for Techweek, a week-long festival of events and conversations happening across the country. From founders to community leaders, investors to operators, it’s where the people shaping New Zealand’s digital future show up to share ideas. 

That’s why it’s become a calendar fixture at Employment Hero. We’re in the business of making employment easier for Kiwi businesses and Techweek is exactly the kind of place we look to for inspiration and connection. 

On 18 May, we partnered with Tech New Zealand to host a roundtable at the Techweek26 Hub in Auckland. The topic was AI and People Operations: the challenges and the exciting potential. Employment Hero’s NZ General Manager Neil Webster, and Managing Director of APAC James Keene helped lead the conversation, alongside senior leaders from across the HR and employment space.

What followed was a room full of leaders being honest about what’s working, what isn’t and what needs to change.

Here’s what came out of it.

Hiring has a new problem: too much polish, not enough signal

The volume challenge was top of the agenda. The number of applicants for roles has quietly grown into something unmanageable for a lot of hiring teams. While AI tools have made it easier than ever for candidates to put together a great-looking application, hiring teams are struggling with their stretched workloads. And, when every CV looks strong, working out who is actually a strong fit becomes a much harder job.

The conversation wasn’t about whether AI should be part of recruitment. It was about how to use it well, and how to get from a large pile of applications to a shortlist that humans can properly evaluate.

AI can improve the experience for everyone

Used thoughtfully, AI can make the hiring process better for everyone. AI interviewing tools can pre-screen candidates, reducing that flood of applications with every new role.

It’s also good for candidates. AI interviewing creates a 24/7 pathway for candidates who can’t take time off during business hours. Automation can also help hiring teams close the loop with more applicants, with personalised feedback rather than silence or a generic ‘no’.

That last point really resonated in the room. Employer brand is part of the hiring system so when candidates don’t hear back, trust erodes fast. AI can help close that gap.

The shift from doing the work to checking the work

A lot of the conversation touched on how AI is changing what People Ops roles actually look like day to day. When AI handles the groundwork, People Ops professionals are increasingly focused on setting standards, reviewing outputs and making the calls that matter. 

HR decisions affect livelihoods, culture, and compliance. Humans still need to own those outcomes, even when AI is doing a lot of the work underneath.

A careful approach is needed for speed and consistency

As AI adoption spreads across teams, keeping outputs consistent becomes a genuine challenge. When different people use different tools and prompts, results start to drift. In an employment context, that can quietly create real problems for brand trust and compliance. 

The practical answer the group landed on: give people flexibility in how they work but hold outputs tightly to clear standards. Governance done well doesn’t slow AI down, it’s what makes the pace sustainable.

So what does operational clarity look like in 2026?

Across the whole conversation, one theme kept coming back: the goal isn’t just to automate things. It’s to give People Ops teams room to do the work that actually matters. That looks like cutting admin that was never a good use of anyone’s time, using AI to handle volume while keeping that human oversight and building systems with compliance baked in from the start.

The roundtable wrapped up with a grounded take that felt true: AI isn’t the whole answer. Better systems, better processes and better-supported people working together will move New Zealand businesses from pressure to clarity.

At Employment Hero, that’s exactly what we’re building. If your team is feeling the squeeze in people ops, we’d love to show you what’s possible with our AI-powered Employment Operating System.

Get in touch with our team today.