Ara students get front-row seat at sold-out agentic AI conference

_{Event organiser Steve Knutson from Stratos Technology Partners, during his keynote address, with attendees}

Ara students strengthened their ties with the regional tech industry on Saturday when two Ara lecturers presented at AgentCamp Christchurch - a sold-out agentic AI conference that brought students shoulder-to-shoulder with employers, engineers and business leaders from across New Zealand.

The event was held at Ara’s City campus and attracted 120 registered attendees, with people travelling from Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington. The conference focused on agentic AI - systems that can autonomously plan and carry out tasks, select the right tools and adapt based on results. It attracted a diverse audience of students, developers, engineers, lawyers, accountants and IT professionals keen to understand where AI is heading and what it means for their work.

For Ara students studying digital technology programmes, the day offered a rare opportunity to engage directly with the region's industry community and see how emerging technologies are applied in real workplaces. Organisations in the room included BNZ, Lyttleton Port of Christchurch, Foodstuffs, Pegasus Health, Christchurch International Airport, Pacific Radiology, Spark, Lincoln University and many others - a who's who of Canterbury employers actively grappling with AI in their organisations.

_{Blake Burgess, AI Software Developer at Stratos Technology Partners, Andy Masters, Solutions Architect at Alliance Group and Caelan Huntress, Founder, Ai Coaching Academy}

Ara lecturer Dr Amit Sarkar, who presented a session on privacy challenges in AI-powered environments, said the student turnout was one of the highlights of the day. "It was great to see so many students here and actively participating - really getting under the hood of agentic AI," Dr Sarkar said. "These are exactly the kinds of conversations students need to be part of, not just in a classroom but alongside the people who are developing and deploying this technology."

_{Ara lecturer Dr Amit Sarkar presented a session on privacy challenges in AI‑powered environments}

Fellow Ara lecturer Dr Mazharuddin Syed Ahmed delivered a masterclass on AI literacy that unpacked the fundamentals of large language models, AI agents and the broader trajectory of artificial intelligence. Ahmed framed the moment as a fundamental shift in how people relate to knowledge and work. "We’re moving from the age of knowledge - the how - to the age of wisdom - the why," he said. As AI takes on more of the execution, he argued, human judgment becomes the scarcer and more valuable resource; a message with direct implications for how the next generation of Ara graduates thinks about their careers.

_{Students from Lincoln University}

The event was organised by Steve Knutson, a Director of Christchurch-based Stratos Technology Partners and Microsoft Regional Director. Knutson holds the title of Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP), a recognition awarded by Microsoft to independent technical experts who demonstrate exceptional community leadership and real-world expertise. Five other Microsoft MVPs were among the day's twelve speakers, lending the event a level of industry credibility rarely found in a free community setting.

Knutson said the growth of the event from one year to the next reflected how quickly demand for AI knowledge was rising. "It's great to see the event is bigger than last year. Demand is high," he said. "The event is all about bringing people together - students and industry - learning from each other, so we can all learn to do better together." He structured the day to maximise those connections, challenging every attendee to ask a question, speak to someone they didn't know, or join a local user group to stay engaged after the event.

_{Organiser Steve Knutson with Drs Mazhar Syed Ahmed and Amit Sarkar}

Sarkar praised Knutson's organisation of the event, which balanced technical deep-dives with sessions accessible to those new to AI. Sessions covered topics ranging from building AI agents in Microsoft Copilot Studio and managing AI security risk to the privacy implications of intelligent environments and how to deploy AI agents reliably using software engineering practices.

The conference also underscored the scale of the challenge facing New Zealand organisations. In his keynote address, Knutson noted that a government report on AI found 40 per cent of New Zealand businesses ranked in the lowest quartile of digital readiness globally, and that 79 per cent were unsure how to train staff on AI effectively. Against that backdrop, events that bring together students, educators and industry to learn side by side take on a particular significance.

AgentCamp is part of a global series of community AI events. More information is available at GlobalAI.Community.

Ara offers a range of digital technology programmes designed in collaboration with industry to prepare learners for careers in software development, information systems, data, cloud and emerging technologies. Through industry‑connected learning, guest speakers and events like AgentCamp, students gain practical experience and professional networks alongside their studies.

👉 Explore digital technology programmes at Ara

_{Hamish Watson, CEO of MakeStuffGo, Nick Draper from Foodstuffs, Bryn Lewis, Software Development Consultant for devMobile Software, Dr Amit Sarkar}