The Franchise Association of New Zealand has just completed an action packed, engaging and highly successful annual conference, held at Wairakei, Taupo.

 “Navigating the Future”.

FANZ invited speakers from both the USA and Australia to contribute to their conference as NZ franchise systems are extremely keen to learn from best practice internationally.  There was also a great mix of local content, with franchisors, lawyers and Strategic Partners such as Microsoft contributing.


Catherine Monson and Robyn Pickerill

Keynote speaker, Catherine Monson CEO of FASTSIGNS International Inc shared a most informative and energized keynote.  Catherine’s passion for leadership and growth of the brand is supported by promoting a culture of success both in the USA and in the international environment.  Catherine has been franchising for 38 years so her insights were extremely valuable.  Some of the key messages from Catherine were the focus on metrics. Everything is measured and benchmarked, goals are set, achieved and then set again.  Catherine emphasized the culture of win/win.  Successful franchisees means a successful franchisor!  We were honoured to have Catherine present at our conference.


Natalie Brennan, General Manager of Muffin Break Australia was another inspiration and she shared her journey through franchising and the lessons that she has learnt along the way. Natalie was particularly encouraging for all the women attending the conference, demonstrating that belief and backing yourself is an important ingredient to success.  

FANZ also took the opportunity to invite business students from local schools to the Friday morning sessions of the conference and we have no doubt that both Catherine and Natalie have set the scene that franchising is a real career option.

Greg Nathan, founder of the Franchise Relationships Institute was well appreciated as he explained the why and how of developing a supportive franchising culture, with long term engagement.

There was also plenty of opportunity to engage and share stories over social functions, round table sessions and workshops. 

The FANZ conference is definitely a must do on the franchising calendar, as it has a focus on learning and sharing in a positive, friendly environment.  The 2019 FANZ conference is set for 20-22 June and FANZ invites international franchising speakers/franchisors, who may be interested in contributing to the conference to contact Robyn Pickerill CEO  FANZ, directly. 

Email: robyn@franchise.org.nz