Speaker bureaus and speaking agencies in New Zealand

Fewer than people expect. This page lists 11 organisations, and only four of them are New Zealand bureaus doing general corporate speaking work: Celebrity Speakers, Essential Talent, Speakers New Zealand and turnerspeaks.

The rest are Australian bureaus serving the market, acting agencies with a speakers roster, or the industry body. That's the whole picture, not a shortlist.

We can't tell you from published sources, and that's the honest answer. Not one organisation on this page publishes a fee band, a starting price or a price filter.

Australia is more transparent: several bureaus there show bands starting around $2,000 to $5,000. New Zealand quotes are all negotiated privately, so ask early.

Depends what you need. A local bureau knows which New Zealand names will land with a New Zealand room, and it isn't managing travel across the Tasman.

The Australian bureaus carry far deeper rosters. Saxton alone lists more than a thousand people. If you want an international name or a specialist topic that nobody local covers, that reach is the reason to use them.

It runs a full New Zealand site at icmi.co.nz with a New Zealand-focused roster. The enquiry phone number on that site is Australian, and ICMI itself is a Melbourne business that's part of the Launchd Group.

It's a real operation and a legitimate way to book. It just isn't a local agency.

Because in a market this size they do a real share of the work. Johnson & Laird and Talent Banque both represent actors, presenters and voices, and both run a speakers and MCs roster alongside.

For conference MCs and hosts in particular, they're often who you end up dealing with.

Yes. The market is concentrated in Auckland, but the agencies book nationally, so where they sit matters less than where your speaker lives.

Talent Online Entertainment lets you filter its speakers and MCs by city, which helps if you want someone local. With any other agency, ask whether they have someone based near your venue. If travel is on your bill, it can save you flights and a night's accommodation.

You should ask. Celebrity Speakers asks for video when it takes a speaker on, so it should have footage to send you.

The other agencies don't publish a video requirement, so what they hold will vary by speaker. Ask for a clip of a real talk to a real audience. If there isn't one, ask for a short call with the speaker before you commit.

Yes, through its member directory. PSANZ is the industry body, not a booking agency, so it won't build you a shortlist or handle a contract. Full Members and above get a directory profile, and you contact them yourself.

PSANZ also runs an accreditation pathway and annual awards. If you're comparing two speakers, it's fair to ask whether either holds one.

Yes, several do. Essential Talent books across both countries, and turnerspeaks covers Australia as well as New Zealand. Talent Online Entertainment works both sides of the Tasman for speakers, MCs and entertainment. Saxton and ICMI come at it from the Australian side.

If your event runs in both countries, or your speaker is flying across the Tasman, one agency handling both ends keeps the contract and the travel in one place.

Six to twelve months for a conference keynote, the same as Australia, and earlier for a well-known name. Annual conferences often lock speakers a year out.

The smaller pool cuts both ways. There are fewer people to choose from, so the recognisable names go early.

Yes, and it's better served than you'd expect for the market size. Celebrity Speakers has an AI and Technology category, Essential Talent has AI and Innovation, ICMI New Zealand lists AI as a top-level topic, and Speakers New Zealand carries both Business Technology and AI Technology.

Email us. Every organisation here was checked on its own website on the date shown at the bottom of this page.

New Zealand is a small market and we'd rather this list were complete than tidy, so if we've missed an agency, tell us. Nobody pays to appear, and nobody can pay to be removed or moved up. See how we verify.