Beverage Conference and Awards 2026
This year’s NZBC Conference, Liquid Ambition, will shine a spotlight on innovation, resilience, and the future of Aotearoa New Zealand’s beverage industry.
Join us for a full day of insights, ideas, and inspiration at Tote on Ascot in Auckland, featuring an outstanding line-up of industry leaders, experts, and innovators. The programme has been designed to encourage meaningful discussion while providing plenty of opportunities to connect, collaborate, and network with fellow industry professionals throughout the day.
To conclude the conference, we are delighted to host the NZBC Beverage Awards Dinner, celebrating the exceptional people, businesses, and products that continue to drive excellence and growth across our sector.
We encourage you to explore the programme, discover the impressive calibre of speakers, and register early to take advantage of Early Bird pricing and secure your place at this premier industry event.
Early Bird rates are available until 14 August 2026.
Prices below are GST exclusive
Conference only ticket - $400
Conference and Dinner Member - $575
Conference only ticket Non Member - $500
Conference and Dinner Non Member - $675
Awards Dinner only - $175
Registering Three or More Delegates?
Companies/ Organisations who are registering three or more delegates are eligible for a group discount of $50 + GST per person. To access this special offer, please email info@nzbeveragecouncil.org.nz and we will arrange your registration and issue an invoice directly.
Speakers
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Matt Dilly is an Agricultural Economist, based in Auckland, New Zealand.
Matt covers New Zealand’s agricultural sector. He publishes ANZ’s Agri Focus and related research.
Matt joined ANZ in 2025 with 12 years’ experience as an agricultural economist at Fonterra and the Ministry for Primary Industries. In these roles, he has done work across every sector of New Zealand’s agricultural economy.
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With over a decade of experience in FMCG insights, Cormac works with food/drink companies across the globe to identify how changing consumer behaviour will impact future category innovation. In his current role as Associate Principal Food & Drink Strategist at Mintel, he analyses shifts in demographics, ingredients, claims, packaging and flavours to extract the implications for local market and export strategy. Cormac’s career has spanned roles in Europe and Asia Pacific consulting with some the world’s largest food/drink entities.
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Tom Walsh is a two-time Olympic medallist, three-time world champion, and two-time Commonwealth Games champion in men’s shot put. As one of the greatest throwers of all time, he ranks sixth in history for the longest throw ever recorded. Over 12 years as a professional athlete and still going, Tom has competed at the highest level, proving that success isn’t about delivering all the time—it’s about delivering when it matters most.
Born and raised in New Zealand, Tom’s journey has been defined by hard work, adaptability, and surrounding himself with the right people. His nine key lessons, shaped through years of competing against the world’s best, emphasize the importance of resilience, teamwork, and learning from both victories and setbacks. He believes that while talent and hard work are essential, true success comes from building strong relationships, embracing challenges, and understanding that obsession fuels achievement.
Tom has also navigated his career while managing dyslexia, an experience that has shaped his problem-solving skills and ability to adapt under pressure. He understands firsthand that success isn’t always a straight path—it requires finding your own way, leaning on the right people, and turning challenges into strengths.
Off the field, Tom is also a qualified builder, applying the same discipline and attention to detail in his craft. As a speaker, he shares powerful insights from his career, delivering engaging and relatable lessons that apply to sports, business, and life. His talks challenge audiences to rethink their approach to success, leadership, and personal growth.
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Leigh Hart is one of New Zealand's most distinctive comedians and one of its more unexpected business builders. Best known as "That Guy" from SportsCafe and as the creator of Moon TV, The Late Night Big Breakfast and Bhuja, Leigh has also founded the Wakachangi, Snackachangi and Arty D brands. He brings the same deadpan, irreverent style to corporate events, conferences and MC roles.
Leigh broke through as a roving reporter on cult comedy show SportsCafe. He went on to create some of New Zealand's most loved TV: Moon TV, Leigh Hart's Mysterious Planet, Screaming Reels, Olympico and The Late Night Big Breakfast. He co-hosts Bhuja on Radio Hauraki with Jason Hoyte, is a member of the Alternative Commentary Collective, founded Wakachangi Beer and Snackachangi Chips, and has been the long-time face of the Hellers brand.
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TBA
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Bron Williams is an award-winning strategist, brand builder, and founder of Essential Viewing: a strategic brand studio that helps change-ready businesses scale globally and own their place in culture. Operating at the intersection of creativity and commercial rigor, Bron has spent over a decade acting as a strategic architect for global disruptors.
She has been the brains behind some of the world’s fastest-growing category leaders, naming more than 50 companies globally and creating FMCG brands that currently sit in over 150,000 doors. This includes her pivotal work within the ZURU Edge incubator, where she created the positioning, naming, brand voices and strategic frameworks for over 18 disruptive brands — headlined by the meteoric rise of Rhodes Pet Science, which hit a $200M valuation in 2025. Her work has been featured on billboards from Australasia to Times Square. Bron is a New Zealander of English and Ngāti Pūkenga heritage.
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Holly McGrath is Co-Founder and Managing Director of Clean Collective, leading the business across New Zealand and Australia while driving the company’s product innovation pipeline and new product development.
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Karina didn't come from the beverage industry or a food technology background. Two years ago, she was a mum of three in Whangārei, rediscovering her strength, deepening her knowledge of nutrition, and competing on the bodybuilding stage.
When she couldn't find a protein drink to suit her needs, she decided to build one.
Today Love Muscle is ranged across Foodstuffs North Island supermarkets, has collected 5x Artisan Gold Medals, two NZ Food Awards wins including the Woolworths Beverage Award and Technical Innovation Award, and a Foodstuffs Emerge Start-Up Supplier Finalist placing.
Still runs it from Whangārei. Still leads every aspect of the business. Still figuring it out.
In this session Karina shares what the first two years has taught her: the unfiltered version.
Innovation Panel
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Will is currently the business manager for beverages and liquor at Foodstuffs North Island. A portfolio worth around 1.8b a year for FSNI with his key focuses being on setting strategy and driving performance of the categories. Will is passionate about building strong relationships with his suppliers and members to deliver great outcomes for the customers that shop the Foodstuffs North Island grocery banners. When Will is not working, he loves spending time with his family and watching / attending sport especially his beloved Wahs.
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Rebecca Brook is a growth strategist and advisor for packaged food, drink and wellness brands, and the Founder of Rise Growth Lab, home of The RISE Accelerator.
With more than 20 years’ experience across FMCG, Rebecca helps founders and business owners identify their strongest growth opportunities, prioritise what matters most, and build clear plans for sustainable, profitable growth. She also supports emerging suppliers through the New World Emerge programme, mentoring semi-finalists and finalists as they prepare to scale successfully in retail.
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Jamie Matthewson is General Manager for Impulse Grocery and Liquor at Woolworths NZ. Previously, Jamie was head of buying for Soft and Alcoholic Drinks at Waitrose, Britain's leading premium supermarket. Jamie has over 20 years of domestic and international retail and hospitality experience having held commercial roles at Tesco, Whitbread and Asda Wal*Mart. Jamie is an Alumnus Fellow at Nottingham University Business School.
Our MC for the Conference
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A former Olympian and one of Aotearoa’s most versatile multi discipline athletes, Sarah Cowley Ross has built a purposeful career at the intersection of sport, wellbeing, and storytelling.
Her background as a New Zealand high jump and heptathlon champion laid the foundation for a life defined by resilience, curiosity, and a deep commitment to empowering others through sport and movement.
Throughout a 15-year international athletics career, Sarah represented New Zealand at the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and age group World Championships, earning a personal best of 1.91m in high jump—ranking her second of all time in New Zealand. The competitive grit, adaptability, and discipline forged on the world stage now fuel her dynamic work beyond elite sport.
Today, Sarah is a respected sports broadcaster, columnist, and commentator, proudly contributing to the Olympic Broadcasting Service for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and previously hosting as part of the TVNZ broadcast team for Tokyo 2020. Whether connecting with global audiences or supporting community events, she brings warmth, clarity, and a rare insider’s perspective to every live environment.
Sarah’s dedication to giving back to the sporting community runs deep. She is the former Chair of the New Zealand Olympic Committee Athletes’ Commission, where she also served on the NZOC Executive Board. She has held governance roles with University and Tertiary Sport NZ, has been a national selector for Athletics NZ, and continues to support the Olympic Movement across the Oceania region. A passionate advocate for women’s leadership, she is an alumna of the NZOC’s Women in Sport Leadership Academy and now contributes as a facilitator, helping guide the next generation of women leaders across the Pacific.
A committed storyteller, Sarah is a columnist for Newsroom’s Locker Room, a platform dedicated to elevating women’s sport, and co-host of the podcast Suze & Sez Sportstalk. She is also a qualified physiotherapist and communications consultant with a strong public voice around wellbeing, movement, and everyday health—championing her personal mantra Never Miss a Monday to encourage others to start their week with intention, joy, and confidence.
Above all, Sarah is a proud mum to Max and Poppy. Her work is driven by the belief that sport and storytelling can help build a healthier, more connected Aotearoa where people of all ages feel inspired to move, belong, and thrive.
