New Zealand

In an age of AI-generated content, deepening social divides, and fast-shifting media landscapes, trust in the news is at an all-time low. Yet without a foundation of agreed-upon facts, how can we lead our businesses, our communities – and our democracy itself?

Part of the Aspen Institute New Zealand’s Critical Conversations programme, this Socrates Seminar brings leaders together from across sectors to ask: How can we navigate a world where truth is contested, and misinformation spreads faster than facts? What does “trust” look like when your customers, employees, and communities are all part of fragmented information bubbles? And what responsibility do leaders hold in sustaining spaces for truth, open dialogue, and shared understanding?

Moderated by Vivian Schiller, internationally renowned former media executive and current Aspen Institute Vice President and Executive Director of Aspen Digital, this immersive discussion invites CEOs, entrepreneurs, policymakers, community builders, and curious citizens to test ideas, challenge assumptions, and explore new ways forward for their organisations and society.

During the seminar, participants will: 

• Examine how the erosion of trust in news mirrors wider social and business challenges.

• Discuss your role as a leader in navigating misinformation, inside and outside your organisation.

• Connect with peers across sectors to ask what credible, trusted leadership looks like today.

• Leave with fresh perspectives to help you lead with integrity in a complex information landscape.

Key themes include: 

• The impact of AI on truth and trust

• Objectivity, bias, and how they shape trust in leaders

• Navigating media manipulation in the boardroom, newsroom, and beyond

• How shared facts underpin healthy societies and resilient businesses

“What made the Socrates Seminar so special was being in a room full of curious, respectful people willing to challenge each other in good faith—it pushed me to dig deeper, clarify my purpose, and commit to championing ideas that make a better world possible.”  

– Cristina Griffiths, Managing Director, Gibbston Valley Winery 

Seminar Details:

Date: 8 – 10 December 2025 (full schedule below)

Venue: ‘Taramea’ – Speargrass Flat Rd, Queenstown

Moderator: New York-based Vivian Schiller

Seminar fee: $1725 incl. GST (includes meals, excursion)

Seminar fee includes tuition, meals during the seminar, and an excursion. Accomodation packages are available on request.

Please contact us directly if you are a Not for Profit organisation or wish to apply for a Scholarship (NZ residents only).

Note: For IoD NZ members, the seminar can contribute to your annual quota of CPD points.

Join us to grapple with one of the biggest questions of our time: How do we rebuild trust in the news and each other?

Vivian Schiller joined the Aspen Institute in January 2020 as the Executive Director of Aspen Digital, which empowers policymakers, civic organisations, companies, and the public to be responsible stewards of technology and media in the service of an informed, just, and equitable world.

A longtime executive at the intersection of journalism, media and technology, Schiller has held executive roles at some of the most respected media organizations in the world. Those include: President and CEO of NPR; Global Chair of News at Twitter; General Manager of NYTimes.com; Chief Digital Officer of NBC News; Chief of the Discovery Times Channel, a joint venture of The New York Times and Discovery Communications; and Head of CNN documentary and long form divisions. Documentaries and series produced under her auspices earned multiple honors, including three Peabody Awards, four Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Awards, and dozens of Emmys.

Schiller is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; and a Director of the Scott Trust, which owns The Guardian.

About Socrates Seminars 

Socrates seminars are collaborative roundtable discussions for participants from different fields. Participants are asked to contribute their understanding of and reactions to carefully selected readings, with the guidance of a moderator, who is an expert in their sector. The seminars provide stimulating dialogue, values-based introspection, and dynamic debate that serve to enhance participants’ understanding and leadership capabilities.

What makes Socrates unique? 

• Connects Leaders Across the Spectrum – from entrepreneurs to public servants, artists to academics, all driven by a shared commitment to engage with the hardest questions of our time.

• The Aspen Method – based on the Aspen Institute’s tradition of moderated dialogue, Socrates champions civil dialogue, intellectual humility and cross-sector collaboration.

• Optimised for Busy Professionals – seminars are designed to strike the perfect balance: intellectually intense, refreshingly brief, and deeply immersive.

• Turn Ideas Into Action – the conversations that start at Socrates often spark new ventures and partnerships. Participants leave not just inspired but empowered.

• A Global, Ever-Growing Network – with over 10,500 alumni worldwide from across the public, private, non-profit and academic sectors, Socrates is more than a programme – it’s a lifelong community.

“For me the thing about Socrates is as much about the substance of the conversation as the relationships. It is those relationships and the network that develops from this that is so powerful.” 

– Andrew Ross Sorkin, Columnist for The New York Times

This year marks the sixth anniversary of the Otago National Security School, and the Aspen Institute New Zealand is honoured to partner with the University of Otago and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) to host the Aspen-Otago National Security Forum 2025.

In an era of rapid technological change and shifting geopolitical power, this non-partisan forum brings together leading voices to explore escalating and emerging risks, examine what’s at stake, and discuss practical responses to mitigate risks and build a more secure future for New Zealand, its partners and the region.

Private Forum | 9:00am–3:00pm

The private forum is an invitation-only session under the Chatham House Rule, gathering senior leaders from government, intelligence, defence, business, and academia to engage in candid dialogue on the region’s most urgent strategic challenges.

Topics include:

• Shared Threats: The Australian-New Zealand Threat Landscape

• Youth and Violent Extremism

• Espionage and AI

• Foreign Interference in Elections

• National Security Strategies and Independent Intelligence Reviews

• Trading Influence: South Pacific Perspectives on China

• Frozen Conflict? Will Antarctica Become a Contested Space?

• Mischief or Malice? North Korea and Regional Security

• Shared Solutions: What Can Australia and New Zealand Learn from Each Other?

Confirmed speakers include senior leaders from the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS), the New Zealand Defence Force, and experts from academia and civil society. Keynote sessions will feature:

• Andrew Hampton, Director-General of Security, NZSIS, joined by his Australian counterpart, Mike Burgess, Director-General of Security, ASIO (joining virtually, tbc), on the evolving threat landscape across Australia and New Zealand.

• Anne Neuberger, former White House advisor on Cybersecurity and Emerging Technology, National Security Council (joining virtually), speaking on AI and Espionage, moderated by Chris Taylor, Director, Statecraft and Intelligence Centre, ASPI.

• Richard Schmidt, Deputy Secretary, Defence Policy and Planning, NZ Ministry of Defence, providing an overview of initiatives to modernise the Australia–New Zealand alliance under the Defence Capability Plan 2025, to strengthen joint readiness and protect shared interests in an increasingly challenging strategic environment.

A full list of speakers will be announced closer to the event.

If you’re interested in attending the private forum, please contact us:

Public Forum + Drinks & Canapés  | 4:00pm–5:30pm

The public forum is open to all and offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from senior security and intelligence leaders from New Zealand and Australia. The panel will discuss key public-facing topics, including:

• Cybersecurity & Critical Infrastructure: How prepared are we for the threats we face?

• Tourism & Terrorism: How can New Zealand’s open borders remain secure?

• Regional Security: The future of cooperation across our neighbourhood.

The session includes a moderated panel, audience Q&A, and a networking reception with drinks and canapés.
Whether you work in security, policy, tourism, business, or simply care about keeping our region safe, this is your chance to be part of the conversation. Tickets available here, venue space is limited.