Programme

A single day of conversations moving from structure and people to investment and lessons learned, with time to work through practical challenges in small groups.

Wednesday 10 February 2027, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland

Draft agenda. Sessions and speakers may change as the programme is confirmed.

  • Family perspective: principals share their own experience
  • Professional perspective: practitioners and advisers
  1. 8.30am

    Arrival and registration

  2. 9.00am

    Welcome

    Welcome: designing modern wealth

    As wealth grows, so does complexity. This opening session sets the context for why private individuals and families are increasingly focused on designing the structures, governance, operating models and relationships that support significant wealth over the long term.

    Host: , Founder and convenor

    Discussion topics
    • Why this conversation matters now
    • The complexity that accompanies significant wealth
    • Moving from wealth creation to wealth organisation
    • What you will take away from the day
  3. 9.10am

    Family perspective

    From wealth creation to wealth organisation

    No two wealth journeys are the same. Two family office principals with different backgrounds discuss how they moved from creating or inheriting wealth to organising it more intentionally, and the decisions that shaped their structures, governance and operating models.

    In conversation: To be announcedModerated by Ruth McKenzie

    Discussion topics
    • What prompted the move towards a more structured approach?
    • Was there a defining moment that changed how you managed wealth?
    • Which decisions had the greatest long-term impact?
    • What mistakes taught you the most?
    • What would you do differently today?
    • What advice would you give someone beginning this journey now?
  4. 9.50am

    Professional perspective

    Designing the right structure around significant wealth

    Before designing an operating model, families need the right foundations. This session explores the practical considerations in structuring significant wealth to support good governance, tax efficiency and long-term flexibility.

    Speaker: , Forsyth BarrModerated by Ruth McKenzie

    Discussion topics
    • Ownership structures and legal frameworks
    • Tax efficiency considerations
    • Governance frameworks that work in practice
    • Trusts, holding companies and operating entities
    • Asset protection and risk management
    • Designing for simplicity rather than unnecessary complexity
  5. 10.30am

    Morning tea

  6. 11.00am

    Family perspective

    Who does what? Building the right team around significant wealth

    No two families build their support teams the same way. Two principals discuss how they decided what to keep in-house, what to outsource and how they coordinate advisers to create an efficient, trusted operating environment.

    In conversation: , Edgar Capital Family Office and a second principal to be announcedModerated by Ruth McKenzie

    Discussion topics
    • Who was hired, and when?
    • What remains outsourced?
    • How are advisers coordinated?
    • What systems and reporting support decision-making?
    • What would you change if starting again?
  7. 11.40am

    Professional perspective

    Designing the right operating model

    Every family needs a different operating model. This session explores outsourced, hybrid and dedicated family office models, and the technology, reporting and governance frameworks that support them.

    Speakers: To be announcedModerated by Ruth McKenzie

    Discussion topics
    • Outsourced, hybrid and dedicated family office models
    • Building capability at the right time
    • Technology, consolidated reporting and dashboards
    • AI and automation opportunities
    • Cyber security and operational risk
    • Avoiding unnecessary complexity
  8. 12.20pm

    Lunch and networking

  9. 1.20pm

    Family perspective

    How we built our investment portfolio

    Investment portfolios often reflect the journey that created the wealth. Two principals share how their portfolios and investment philosophies evolved, and the lessons they learnt along the way.

    In conversation: , Leftfield Investments and a second principal to be announcedModerated by Ruth McKenzie

    Discussion topics
    • How portfolios evolved over time
    • Property, public markets, private equity and direct investments
    • Balancing growth, preservation and liquidity
    • Governance around investment decisions
    • Mistakes made and lessons learnt
  10. 2.00pm

    Professional perspective

    Investing significant wealth: portfolio design and governance

    Managing significant wealth takes more than selecting investments. This session explores portfolio construction, governance and oversight across multiple asset classes.

    Speakers: To be announcedModerated by Ruth McKenzie

    Discussion topics
    • Portfolio construction principles
    • Public versus private markets
    • Direct investing and co-investment opportunities
    • Liquidity management
    • Investment governance and oversight
    • Measuring success beyond investment returns
  11. 2.40pm

    Afternoon tea

  12. 3.00pm

    Roundtables

    Interactive roundtables: solving practical challenges

    Small groups work through practical challenges alongside peers and experienced practitioners, sharing ideas and solving problems together.

    Facilitators: To be announcedModerated by Ruth McKenzie

    Discussion topics
    • Building a lean and efficient family office
    • Designing the right operating model
    • Structuring wealth for tax efficiency and simplicity
    • Building an effective advisory team
    • Direct investing and co-investment
    • Technology, reporting and AI
    • Philanthropy, purpose and impact
  13. 4.15pm

    Family perspective

    Closing conversation: lessons learned from family principals

    The family principals from throughout the day come together for a candid discussion of the lessons that only become clear with experience.

    In conversation: To be announcedModerated by Ruth McKenzie

    Discussion topics
    • The decisions we'd make sooner
    • The mistakes we'd avoid
    • What we overcomplicated
    • What proved worth investing in
    • What matters most today
  14. 5.00pm

    Networking drinks, until 7.00pm

Join the conversation

Early rate of NZ$1,295 + GST applies to applications received before 1 December 2026.

Apply to attend
Ruth McKenzie

Ruth McKenzie

Host and convenor, Family Capital Design Forum

Ruth McKenzie is the founder and convenor of the Family Capital Design Forum and principal of KenzieCo, an independent consultancy working across philanthropy, family office strategy and private capital.

She has spent much of her career working with private wealth, family offices, foundations and advisory firms across Australia and New Zealand, helping organisations build relationships, shape strategy and bring the right people together around complex questions of capital, governance and impact.

Ruth created the Forum to provide a practical, independent environment for families and family office leaders to explore how significant wealth is structured, governed and managed over time.
Niki Paramor

Niki Paramor

Founder and Director, Leftfield Investments

Niki is a founder and director of Leftfield Investments, a family-owned and run investment manager with a portfolio spanning real estate, private equity, listed equities, venture capital and social impact.

Before Leftfield, Niki held various roles in real estate funds management and development, with more than 15 years' experience across a range of asset classes.

Niki holds a Bachelor of Public Communications and a Certificate in Finance and Property Development from the University of Technology Sydney and Finsia.
Hamish Edgar

Hamish Edgar

Principal, Edgar Capital Family Office

Hamish Edgar manages the Edgar Capital Family Office which, alongside various private investments, supports a number of charitable organisations in New Zealand, particularly in the arts, sport, education and health.

His background spans law, investment banking and global portfolio management, including Russell McVeagh in Wellington, investment banking at First NZ Capital and hedge funds in London, before returning home in 2015 with his wife Victoria and their two daughters.

He then established Edgar Capital Family Office, which he continues to lead today.
Sarah Wells

Sarah Wells

Head of Family Advisory, Strategy Partners, Forsyth Barr

Sarah joined Forsyth Barr in August 2026 as Head of Family Advisory, Strategy Partners. She has more than a decade of experience as a strategic adviser to high-net-worth individuals, family businesses and family offices.

She helps families with the complexities of holding, building and transitioning private wealth, working closely with Forsyth Barr investment advisers and a family's wider advisory team on succession strategy, family governance, family office design and review, next-generation preparedness, family enterprise and agribusiness advisory, and business exit and liquidity planning.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Otago and is a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP). Before joining Forsyth Barr she worked in the private wealth team of a leading international law firm.