Christchurch Business Analysis and Beyond meetup

We are back for our August meetup - the plan for this session is:

• Networking
• Presentation - 'Curiosity Unleashed ...' by Matt Duce, Head of Consulting at Redvespa

Ever wondered why industry giants vanish? Remember renting videos from Blockbuster, or using Kodak cameras and film? A critical lack of curiosity about their customers sealed their fate. Closer to home, have you experienced projects that just don't deliver their intended outcomes? Often, it's due to a lack of curiosity early on. Discover why curiosity is one of the most valuable tools in a Business Analyst's toolkit and how to effectively smash through common barriers to unlock real business insights.

• Other events - looking around at other events coming up
• Refreshments - thanks to the generosity of BeyondBA

We are back for our September meetup - the plan for this session is:

• Networking
• Presentation - 'Co-Analysis: How BAs and AI Can Work Together' by Hamish Watson, Morph iT / Make Stuff Go

AI isn’t here to replace Business Analysts — it’s here to work alongside them. In this session, we’ll explore how BAs can harness AI as a co-analyst to enhance, not threaten, their role. From automating stakeholder meeting summaries to generating user stories, refining requirements, and surfacing hidden insights in data, AI tools can supercharge the BA toolkit.

While some fear disruption, we’ll show how embracing these technologies opens the door to more strategic, higher-impact analysis. Join us to see real-world examples, get hands-on with prompts, and reimagine the BA role in an AI-enabled future. Let’s lead the change, not fear it.

• Other events - looking around at other events coming up
• Refreshments - thanks to the generosity of BeyondBA

About Hamish!
Hamish Watson is a Consultant, CEO, and Dual Microsoft MVP (AI) and (Data Platform). Hamish has over two decades of experience helping organisations optimise their data, cloud, and digital practices. Known for combining deep technical expertise with a passion for education and delivery of business value, Hamish specialises in DevOps, workflow modernisation, and AI-driven automation.

He’s helped global teams transition from manual deployments to automated, secure, and auditable pipelines — and now focuses on how AI can supercharge these practices. Whether it’s scaling Kubernetes workloads, tuning SQL performance, implementing transformational team workflows, or enabling AI-driven cost optimisation in the cloud(s), Hamish brings practical insight and a touch of humor to everything he does.

As a speaker, writer, and community leader, Hamish believes that tech is best when it's human-centered — and that we should all be building things that Make Stuff Go.