Tracy Bustamante commences new chapter in tech sector

There is a tendency to judge the health of our communications profession by the number
of job advertisements, agency mergers, or restructuring announcements. While these
indicators provide part of the picture, they rarely tell the full story.

Conversations with senior practitioners from across Aotearoa New Zealand paint a more
nuanced view of the sector in 2026. Following several years characterised by economic
uncertainty, political change, organisational restructures, and cautious investment,
confidence is beginning to return. Yet it is not a simple return to business as usual. The
profession itself is evolving.

One of the clearest signs of that evolution is the growing investment in professional
capability. Across the profession, communications practitioners are actively developing
new skills to navigate artificial intelligence, changing stakeholder expectations, and their
strategic role within their organisations.

Communications leaders are finding themselves at the centre of more complex
organisational decisions. Artificial intelligence is reshaping workflows and changing how
stakeholders think about visibility. Trust has become one of the most valuable strategic
assets an organisation can possess. At the same time, communications professionals are
being asked to deliver more value than ever before with finite resources.

What we're seeing is a profession entering a new phase, where strategic judgement and
trusted advice are becoming even more important.

Recruitment confidence returns

Perhaps the clearest sign of improving confidence is the recruitment market.

After an extended period where organisations delayed hiring and relied heavily on internal resources, recruiters are now reporting renewed activity across both permanent and contract roles. In Wellington particularly, contracting has strengthened as organisations seek experienced professionals who can quickly fill capability gaps created through restructures, hiring freezes, and staff turnover.

Many communications teams remain deliberately lean, creating strong demand for
practitioners capable of stepping into complex environments and making an immediate
impact.

Permanent recruitment is also showing encouraging signs. Demand is strongest for
experienced communications and engagement professionals with around five to eight
years' experience, particularly those capable of combining strategic thinking with practical delivery.

Interestingly, recruitment activity is also being influenced by broader workforce trends.
Auckland employers continue to experience shortages in this mid-career cohort as many
professionals pursue overseas opportunities or relocate to Australia, creating additional
competition for experienced talent.

Salary expectations also appear to be normalising. While some organisations initially
assumed a softer employment market would place downward pressure on remuneration,
that perception has largely disappeared. Rates have largely returned to levels seen in
2022/23, reflecting continuing demand for experienced practitioners.

While uncertainty inevitably remains, particularly as organisations prepare for another
election cycle, the overall mood among recruiters is notably more optimistic than it has
been in recent years.

A changing agency landscape

Agency leaders report a similarly mixed but generally positive outlook.

Some agencies continue to experience steady growth, supported by expanding work from existing clients rather than relying solely on winning new business. This reflects the
enduring value clients place on trusted advisory relationships, particularly during periods
of uncertainty.

At the same time, client behaviour is changing.

Many organisations remain financially cautious. Rather than aggressively pursuing
expansion, communications investment is increasingly focused on protecting reputation,
maintaining stakeholder confidence, and defending market position. This shift has changed the nature of advisory work, with agencies spending more time supporting clients through complex issues, regulatory change, and strategic risk management.

For others, particularly some regional agencies, conditions have remained remarkably
stable. While they have not necessarily experienced significant growth or contraction, they describe a consistent flow of work and continued demand for senior strategic expertise.

One notable trend emerging across agencies is the changing nature of client requests.

Routine communications tasks that once consumed significant time are gradually
diminishing. Rather than reducing demand for communications expertise, this appears to
be shifting agency work further up the value chain.

Clients are seeking advice on complex stakeholder engagement, strategic
communications, government relations, regulatory environments, and issues management. In other words, organisations are less focused on simply producing communications and more focused on determining what should be communicated, when, and why.

As technology automates more routine production, human judgement becomes
progressively more valuable.

Public sector and Wellington: the calm before the next storm?

The picture in Wellington's public sector is somewhat more complicated.

After successive rounds of restructuring and organisational change, there is a palpable
sense of fatigue among public sector practitioners. Many have been through restructure
after restructure, and the current period feels less like a return to normal than a temporary pause.

There is also a familiar Wellington rhythm at this point in the political cycle. With an
election ahead, some plans are being placed on hold because they may ultimately require
decisions from the next government. Major change has slowed, creating something of a
holding pattern.

For communications professionals, however, that pause does not necessarily mean a
reduction in demand. If anything, it may simply be the calm before another period of
significant change.

That is likely to create increasing demand for practitioners who can lead change
communications: people who can help organisations communicate difficult decisions
clearly, engage already-fatigued workforces, manage uncertainty, and maintain trust while
change is implemented.

There is also a more positive counterpoint to the discussion around the cost of
communications contractors. Following the reductions across the public sector, there has
been less commentary about the perceived expense of contractors. Yet experienced
communications specialists remain highly valued because they can bring immediate
capability into lean teams and complex environments. The best practitioners remain worth their weight in gold.

Communications moves upstream

One of the strongest themes emerging across every sector is the growing strategic
influence of communications.

Communications professionals are being included earlier in organisational decision-making, moving beyond implementation to become genuine advisers around
organisational strategy.

Organisations are navigating inflationary pressures, workforce shortages, heightened
public scrutiny, political uncertainty, misinformation, regulatory complexity, and rapidly
changing technology. These challenges cannot simply be explained through
communications once decisions have already been made.

Instead, communications professionals are helping shape better decisions from the outset.

The most effective organisations are steadily recognising that communications is not
simply about producing content or managing channels. It is about understanding
stakeholder expectations, assessing reputational risk, building trust, and ensuring
decisions can withstand public scrutiny.

Investing in capability, not just capacity

If there is one tangible indicator that the profession is embracing change rather than
resisting it, it is the growing appetite for professional development.

At PRINZ, participation in continuing professional development (CPD) has increased by 16
per cent year on year, despite the economic pressures many organisations continue to
navigate. That level of growth suggests communications practitioners recognise that
standing still is simply not an option in a profession evolving as rapidly as ours.

Importantly, the demand is not simply for theory. While there is significant interest in
understanding emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, practitioners are more often seeking practical tools, frameworks, and real-world applications that can be
immediately translated into their workplaces.

The focus has shifted from learning about change to building the confidence and capability to lead it.

This trend reflects a broader shift across the profession. Organisations seem to now
recognise that communications capability is about equipping professionals with the skills
to provide strategic counsel and build trusted relationships in rapidly changing
environments.

As organisations focus their professional development budgets on building capability,
PRINZ has also adapted its approach to learning. Course fees for non-members now
include a 12-month PRINZ membership, allowing participants to gain immediate practical
skills while also becoming part of the wider profession and accessing all the benefits of PRINZ membership.

It is a practical response to the way many organisations now allocate professional
development funding, ensuring investment in learning also provides an enduring
connection to the profession. Participants leave not only with new skills they can
immediately apply, but with continued access to the insights and professional standards
that help communications practitioners grow throughout their careers.

The increasing demand for professional development sends an encouraging signal. New
Zealand’s communications professionals are not standing still. They are actively investing
in the skills, judgement, and networks that will enable them to lead organisations
confidently through the next phase of the profession’s evolution.

Artificial intelligence changes the conversation

No discussion about the communications profession in 2026 would be complete without
acknowledging the growing influence of artificial intelligence.

Interestingly, practitioners are not primarily discussing AI as a threat to jobs. Many
organisations are actively investing in training their communications teams to better
understand AI tools while simultaneously strengthening the strategic skills that technology cannot replace.

The emergence of Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is changing how organisations
think about reputation and discoverability.

Rather than focusing exclusively on traditional search engine optimisation, there is
recognition that appearing in AI-generated responses requires a consistent body of
credible, authoritative content. This has renewed interest in proactive public relations,
thought leadership, and reputation-building activities that establish organisations as
trusted sources of information.

As media channels have fragmented, earned media and high-quality editorial coverage
remain important signals of authority, creating fresh opportunities for public relations
professionals to demonstrate measurable value.

AI appears to be reinforcing the importance of trusted content and credible relationships
rather than diminishing them.

Trust becomes the competitive advantage

If one word captures the future direction of the profession, it is trust.

Credibility has become the true differentiator.

Across sectors, practitioners report growing emphasis on authentic leadership, employee
advocacy, meaningful stakeholder engagement, community relationships, and long-term
reputation building.

Rather than chasing short-term reach or engagement metrics, successful organisations
are investing in relationships that create lasting confidence among employees, customers, regulators, communities, and other stakeholders.

This is particularly evident in sectors where public confidence directly influences
organisational success, including health, professional services, and government-related
industries.

Communications therefore becomes less about broadcasting messages and more about
building relationships capable of sustaining trust over time.

Ethics matters more, not less

The increasing complexity of the communications environment also reinforces the
importance of professional standards.

For PRINZ members, membership carries an important commitment: adherence to the
PRINZ Code of Ethics. In an environment where the speed and scale of content creation
are increasing exponentially, professional judgement and ethical decision-making have
never been more important.

The Code provides a foundation for practitioners navigating questions of accuracy,
transparency, integrity, conflicts of interest, and responsibility to audiences and
stakeholders. These principles matter whether a communication is drafted by a person,
assisted by AI, or produced almost entirely through technology.

PRINZ is currently reviewing its Code of Ethics to ensure it continues to reflect the realities of contemporary communications practice and the new normal in which practitioners are operating.

This review is important because professional standards cannot remain static while the
environment around them changes. The tools may be new but the responsibility remains.

Relationships remain central

One encouraging observation emerging from agency practitioners is the continuing
strength of relationships between experienced communicators and journalists.

While the New Zealand media landscape continues to transform, many senior practitioners describe constructive engagement built on mutual respect and a shared
commitment to quality storytelling.

This reinforces a truth sometimes overlooked: communications remains fundamentally
about people.

Technology can assist with drafting content, analysing data, and automating processes, but trust, judgement, empathy, and relationships remain distinctly human capabilities.

Looking ahead

What comes through from all of this feedback is a profession that is confidently evolving.

Trust has become an organisational imperative rather than simply a communications
objective, and professional standards are becoming more important as the velocity and
complexity of communications continue to increase.

Perhaps most importantly, the profession appears to be moving beyond debates about
whether communications deserves a strategic seat at the table.

Organisations appear to understand more than ever that reputation and stakeholder
confidence are critical to their success. Communications professionals are uniquely
positioned to help leaders navigate these challenges.

As one of our senior members commented, "The future will not be defined simply by how
quickly we adopt the latest technology, but by how effectively we combine technological
capability with uniquely human qualities: judgement, ethics, empathy, curiosity,
relationship building, and strategic thinking”.

Those capabilities have always been at the heart of good communications.

In an increasingly automated world, they may become even more valuable.

This Earned View column was contributed by Susanne Martin, Chief Executive of the Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ), with insights from PRINZ members. PRINZ is the professional body representing public relations and communications practitioners across Aotearoa.

Susanne has a career spanning commercial business, vocational education, and professional membership organisations in New Zealand and Australia, with senior leadership experience across strategy, business development, operations, stakeholder engagement, and sales growth. This breadth gives her a perspective that extends beyond the PR profession itself, including the commercial and organisational imperatives shaping the way organisations operate.

Since joining PRINZ in 2022, Susanne has led the Institute through a period of significant change, with a focus on strengthening its strategic direction, financial sustainability, member value, professional development, partnerships, and advocacy for the profession. She is passionate about the role of PR and communications in building trust and helping organisations navigate an increasingly complex environment.

Through her role at PRINZ, Susanne works closely with practitioners, agencies, organisations and industry stakeholders across Aotearoa and has a strong view on where the profession is heading and the challenges it faces.

More likely to call a spade a shovel, Susanne brings a commercially minded and straight-talking perspective to the sector.

Read more from our columnists in The Earned View 

SenateSHJ has released its 2026 Togetherness Index, highlighting a tension between Australians' growing sense of national division and their continued belief in community resilience.

The annual study surveyed more than 1,000 Australians aged 18 and over across metropolitan and regional Australia, with the general population sample reflecting Australia by gender, age, state, and location. It found that 49 per cent of Australians believe Australia has become more divided over the past 12 months. Australians are also more likely to describe the country as divided, at 41 per cent, than united, at 32 per cent.

However, 69 per cent of Australians still believe communities pull together well when times get tough, virtually unchanged from 70 per cent in 2024.

Togetherness remains resilient

Australia’s Togetherness Index score is 56 in 2026. Since the Index began in 2020, the score has moved within a narrow range, from 59 in 2020 to 56 today.

SenateSHJ says this relative stability points to a more complex picture than division alone. While Australians increasingly recognise tension around them, they remain confident in their communities’ ability to respond collectively during difficult times.

Jodie Wrigley, Head of Social Change at SenateSHJ, said: "Australians can see and feel the pressures pulling the country apart. But beneath that, there remains a powerful belief that when things get tough, we will look after one another.

"That tells us something important about how Australians see themselves and the kind of country they want Australia to be. Coming together in difficult times is not simply something communities do. Australians see it as part of who we are.

"But this instinct should not be taken for granted. It is reinforced through the everyday relationships and connections that give people somewhere to turn and a way to contribute."

Local connections matter

The study shows that togetherness is closely linked to the relationships people have around them. While Australians' closest relationships remain their strongest sources of connection, the Index found these ties have weakened. Closeness to immediate family fell from 79 per cent to 74 per cent, close friends from 66 per cent to 58 per cent, and extended family from 46 per cent to 42 per cent.

Beyond people's closest relationships, these ties become weaker. Connections with neighbours are broad, but often shallow. The Index found 69 per cent of Australians recognise three or more neighbours by sight, while 53 per cent know three or more neighbours by first name. However, only 43 per cent have three or more neighbours they would feel comfortable asking for help.

SenateSHJ says these local connections matter. Among Australians with no neighbours they could ask for help, 57 per cent believe Australians pull together well when times get tough. Among those with more than 10 neighbours they could turn to, that rises to 85 per cent.

Participation also plays a role. The Index found 76 per cent of Australians involved in two or more community groups believe Australians pull together when times get tough, compared with 63 per cent of people who are not involved in any groups.

Isabel Zhang, Consulting Partner, Research and Intelligence at SenateSHJ, said the findings challenged the idea that a cohesive country must be one in which everyone agrees.

“Togetherness does not require consensus. Real social cohesion means we can disagree, recognise differing experiences, and still share an expectation that we will come together when it counts.

“The important question is whether people have the relationships, opportunities, and confidence to act on that expectation. Our findings show that stronger local connections are closely associated with greater confidence in Australia's ability to respond collectively to difficult times.”

Australians want leadership that brings people together

The study also found Australians see a clear role for leadership in strengthening national togetherness.

80 per cent of Australians believe it is important for governments to communicate messages that bring people together and encourage cooperation.

There are signs government communication is becoming more effective. In 2026, 44 per cent of Australians rated State Government communication that promotes togetherness as effective, up from 35 per cent in 2024. At Federal Government level, effectiveness rose from 36 per cent to 43 per cent. Local Government communication was also rated effective by 44 per cent of Australians.

However, SenateSHJ says there is still room for improvement, with less than half of Australians seeing any level of government as effective at communicating messages that bring people together.

Feeling heard remains a challenge

The Index found feeling heard remains one of the weakest points in Australian togetherness.

While 57 per cent of Australians believe they can and should contribute to improving their local community, only 33 per cent believe their own voice is heard in community debates and discussions.

Only around one-third of Australians believe government leaders genuinely try hard to listen to community needs, with 35 per cent saying this of Local Government, 33 per cent of State Government, and 31 per cent of the Federal Government.

What communicators need to know

The 2026 Togetherness Index points to the importance of connection, trust and visible listening.

The findings suggest messages that bring people together can make a difference, but they need to be supported by genuine opportunities for people to contribute and see that their input matters.

The Index also shows that togetherness does not require everyone to agree. Australians can recognise division, hold different views and still believe in each other when it matters.

For communicators, the opportunity is to strengthen that instinct by building trust through local relationships, making listening visible and helping people see the values and connections they still share.

Helmi Shemi has started a new role as Marketing Communications Manager at Dwimitra Listenlights.

Based in Jakarta, he manages a range of communications activities, including media engagement, content creation, reputation management, social media and events.

Helmi’s prior communications experience includes roles at Inspirasi Digital and Meorient Exhibition International.