Kia ora,
I hope you, your business, and your whānau are off to a cracker start. We’re already hitting our stride at FinTechNZ with a crescendo of events, announcements, and hui over the coming months — and a deliberate focus on Wellington. Our deepening partnership with Creative HQ spans the fourth fintech accelerator, their leadership of the Hui Pitch Breakfast, and three additional community events before April. People often ask, “Why Wellington?” As a lapsed Wellingtonian, I’m still struck by the city’s intimacy and its sheer will to get things done. It’s the birthplace of Xero, Sharesies, Trade Me, Hnry, PledgeMe, PaySauce, CoGo, and Sharesight — there’s clearly something in the water (or maybe it’s the wind).
In case you missed it the Hui Taumata has stepped up a level. We’ve moved to Tākina and expanded to 11–12 March with the new Touchdown Day structure. This year introduces a deep‑dive Insights Forum and a Strategy Roundtable, guided tours of Xero, Sharesies, and Booster with the Creative HQ team, and an upgraded conference with masterclasses from local and international experts, including Richard (Rich) Tong from Seattle. You’ll find more on speakers, the full agenda, and my recent interview with Rich below.
As always, we’ve included the latest policy and regulatory updates, ecosystem events, and announcements. Today’s Dosh x One NZ announcement is a sign of the times — telcos are leaning in.
Hui Taumata Updates
We’re now just six weeks out from the Hui Taumata! The Insights Forum, Strategy Roundtable, and Fintech Tour are filling fast. Please take advantage of Early Bird pricing and the current hotel and flight incentives.
The FinTech Hui has reached a new scale. We’ve moved to Tākina Convention Centre and expanded the format to 11–12 March as part of the new Touchdown Day structure.
What’s new this year:
- Deep-dive Insights Forum: A high-impact session with exceptional panellists.
- Strategy Roundtable: A follow-up working session connecting these leaders with our community.
- Fintech Tour: Guided visits to Xero, Sharesies, and Booster, led by the Creative HQ team.
- Upgraded conference: A new masterclass format featuring local and international experts.
Check out our website for the full programme and latest speakers.
Rich Tong on AI, Open Banking and New Zealand’s Leapfrog Moment
Rich Tong has spent three decades at the forefront of successive tech waves — and in a recent interview with FinTechNZ Executive Director Jason Roberts, he shares why this moment could be a true leapfrog opportunity for Aotearoa. Rich reflects on his journey from 12 years at Microsoft (leading product management across Windows, Office and server products) to 15 years in venture capital, building funds in the US and Asia. Today, he’s helping lead Total Neural Enterprises (TNE.ai), focused on making enterprise AI transformation practical and achievable.
A central theme of the interview is that AI is no longer “nice to have” — it’s becoming an assistant for every person, function and process, including regulatory compliance. Rich argues that this shift will enable open banking “like we’ve never seen it,” and that New Zealand’s scale can be an advantage: a focused ecosystem that can move faster, align priorities, and turn proof-of-concepts into outcomes.
He also points to the power of “bolt-on” AI over rip-and-replace transformation — sharing an example where a KYC/AML screening prototype was built in 35 days, not years. Rich’s challenge to the ecosystem is simple: let’s build something world-class, together.
Watch the full interview below.
FinTech News
Fintech Lab 2026 — accelerator launched
Creative HQ’s first startup accelerator of the year is live, shaped by four prior fintech accelerators and designed to connect founders with mentors, investors, regulators, and operators across the ecosystem. Thanks to the 150+ supporters who packed the launch — the energy was outstanding.
The 2026 Cohort is…
- Fundsorter — matches community organisations/charities with best‑fit grants and drafts applications
- Feijoa — rounds up everyday spending to grow KiwiSaver
- Penny — enterprise financial CRM linking multiple lenders/insurers
- HaveMore — “web 2.5” bridge offering compliant, scalable income products powered by digital assets
- COUNT — AI‑native accounting for SMEs; simple, automated, decision‑ready
- Numera — automates accounting workpapers via IRD, ACC, Open Banking, Xero
- AVCA — AI‑driven compliance for regulated financial firms
- Raumati Hohua Whetu Para Whānau Trust (RHWP) — kaupapa Māori whānau asset management and digital financial tools
- Frontier Property Insights — re‑imagining property data and insights
- Qippay — Open Banking infrastructure and payments for business
- ALYRT — AI platform detecting financial/legislative risks in real time for SMEs
- Nashrr — New Zealand’s first all‑in‑one halal fintech platform
- Hello Cashflow — connects to accounting software for clear, actionable cashflow insight
- Pacific Prosperity Lab — connecting Pacific innovation with global capital
- Pilot — trust infrastructure for social trading
Want to see what this new cohort is all about? Follow their journey as they ramp up through the Accelerator — and then come along to the Pitch Breakfast on Day Two (12 March) to see them in action on stage at Hui Taumata 2026. With the Hui now just 41 days away, it’s a great time to lock in your plans. Make the most of Early Bird and member 2‑for‑1 pricing, available until 11 February.
FinTech News
Level up your eInvoicing skills
Want to learn more about Peppol eInvoicing? MBIE’s eInvoicing team invite you a variety of eInvoicing webinars. They offer an opportunity to explore topics in greater depth.
Discover how switching from emailed PDF invoices to streamlined eInvoicing can reduce admin and errors and improve cash flow.
Register today. Webinars | eInvoicing
Implementing eInvoicing Receive Capability: Technical Pathways and Practical Considerations -18 February 2026
Implementing eInvoicing send capability for large businesses – 24 February 2026
Smart supplier onboarding: Ensuring your eInvoicing investment pays off – 25 February 2026
Are you a software developer?
For those who want to know about building eInvoicing into software products, watch this on-demand webinar. Adding eInvoicing capability to your software will help you retain and attract new customers, be ready for growing customer demand, and remain competitive.
Community Noticeboard
Fintech Welly Meetup — Open Banking | AI & the Future of Finance (10 Feb, Wellington)
Join founders, operators, policymakers, and investors for an evening of practical insights on where Open Banking meets AI. The panel, “Open Banking: AI and the Future of Finance,” features Alan Carnaby (MBIE), Jack Callister (Volley), Josh Daniell (Akahu), Lisa Ibarra (Payments NZ), Morne Redgard (SBS Wealth), and Rhiannon McKinnon (Cassiobury). Hosted by Octave (Level M, Press Hall, 78 Willis St), with drinks and kai from 5:00pm and the panel at 5:30pm.
Registration closes 10 Feb.
Fintech Festival 2026 (16 April, Wellington)
Celebrate the founders graduating from Fintech Lab ’26 at New Zealand’s fintech summit, sponsored by Mastercard. The afternoon features a Startup Showcase of cohort pitches, industry highlight stories from leading Kiwi fintechs, and plenty of time to connect over drinks with founders, investors, and ecosystem leaders. It’s your chance to see game‑changing products, meet the people building them, and wrap Fintech Lab 2026 with a bang. 2:00–7:00pm at Shed 6, Wellington
One NZ x dosh: A new era of phone upgrades
One NZ and Kiwi fintech dosh have launched a first-of-its-kind partnership to reinvent how Kiwis upgrade their phones. The collaboration links everyday finance to One NZ’s Phone Dollar ecosystem, with rewards visible in the dosh app and more partners coming via One Wallet. It’s a bold, debit-first rethink of loyalty — and a signal of two local players teaming up to challenge the status quo and make “paying for a phone” a thing of the past.
Hnry Stadium: a homegrown win for Wellington
Wellington’s regional stadium will be renamed Hnry Stadium from March, with Wellington‑founded fintech Hnry securing five‑year naming rights. The partnership aims to boost the city’s event economy and spotlight sole traders, aligning a homegrown brand with a signature venue. New signage arrives by April
Read the full announcement here
Let’s crack on with 2026 — can’t wait to see you in Wellington.
Ngā mihi nui,
Jason Roberts
Executive Director
Read full news here: FinTechNZ News: Wellington in focus 41 days to go until the Hui Taumata