Fri, 7th Aug 2026, 12-1:15pm, G.01, Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment, 15 Stout Street Wellington 6011 - and online
Most organisations treat cyber security compliance as something that happens to them. This session makes the case that it doesn't have to be that way.
Chris Hawksworth, co-director of CyberTeam Ltd and founder of Speculo, draws on hands-on consulting and product experience across New Zealand's public sector to show how the Minimum Cyber Security Standard (MCSS) and the shift to continuous assurance can become a real strategic opportunity, not just a compliance obligation to satisfy.
The organisations getting ahead right now are the ones using risk data to drive decisions before requirements land on their desk. This session will show you how.
What you'll learn:
The landscape: what the Minimum Cyber Security Standard (MCSS) and continuous assurance actually require, and what's coming next for New Zealand government agencies.
Data-driven compliance: how structured risk data, collected through good assurance practice, gives leadership a clear, defensible picture of where the organisation stands and where investment is needed.
Getting in front of change: how CyberTeam and Speculo help organisations move from reactive compliance to proactive risk management, turning upcoming requirements into a business case rather than a scramble.
The value story: framing cyber security outcomes in terms that land with senior leaders, reduced risk exposure, better use of security budgets, and a demonstrable contribution to public safety and trust.
This session gives you the language, the data, and the practical steps to make that case inside your own organisation.
Speaker bio:
Chris Hawksworth is a cyber security entrepreneur and risk management specialist with over a decade of experience across New Zealand's public sector and enterprise markets. As co-director of CyberTeam Ltd, he leads consulting engagements helping government agencies navigate complex compliance obligations and build genuine security capability. As founder and CEO of Speculo, he is building a New Zealand-owned cyber risk platform that turns assurance workflows and risk data into clear, actionable insights for leadership teams. Chris is also a co-founder of CyberTechNZ, where he works to strengthen the country's security sector at an industry level. With deep experience across the MCSS, NZISM, and CIS Controls v8, he brings a practitioner's perspective to one of the public sector's most pressing challenges: getting real value out of minimum cyber security requirements.
Spaces are limited & priority given to members. Register here.