Seeking the truth: Reflections from the 2025 RANZ Conference

On 9 October 2025, the Research Association New Zealand (RANZ) hosted the New Zealand Insights Conference at Orakei Bay. The theme this year, “Seeking the Truth”, invited researchers, insights professionals, clients, and vendors alike to engage with provocative ideas, new perspectives, and bold conversations. 

RANZ’s annual conference is a cornerstone for New Zealand’s research and insights community. It provides a platform for local and international experts to present, challenge assumptions, and spark fresh thinking in how we use data, design research, and communicate value. 

This year’s event promised a particularly ambitious agenda: to push beyond industry norms, promote emerging ideas, and create space for genuine interaction. The move away from an explicit AI theme was well-received by many attendees, as speakers were able to cover a broader range of topics. And it didn’t disappoint. 

Infotools’ team members Andrea Mitlag, Willem Coetzee, and Yan Ma recently gave us a summary of their own stand out moments at the conference. 

Andrea Mitlag: Truth, framing, and helping clients see differently

Andrea kicked things off by reflecting on a theme highlighted by keynote speaker Mike Sherman: truth is not absolute. This theme was also expanded on by Dr. Jess, another keynote speaker at the conference. What resonated most from the keynotes was the idea that truth depends heavily on framing. In research, we often seek a singular “source of truth,” but people’s interpretation of data is shaped by the narratives, cultural norms, and context they bring.

For Andrea, this insight holds lessons in two arenas:

• How clients speak to their customers — the stories, assumptions, and values they lean into shape how messages land.
  
  
• How we speak to clients — our role as researchers is to help them see, understand, and sometimes shift framing, rather than merely supplying numbers.

As an example, Dr. Jess used a case around vaccine communication in New Zealand: rather than focusing on debunking misinformation, the message worked better when it centered on shared values (e.g. protecting those most at risk). That shift is powerful, moving the conversation from “what’s wrong” to “what’s essential.”

Andrea also drew attention to a session by Deinika, who offered a simple but insightful client-persona model: the Firefighter: Urgent, reactive, high-stakes demands; Builder: Bureaucratic, slow-moving, many gatekeepers; and Farmer: Strategic, patient, long-term oriented. In many ways, the Farmer is the ideal partner. Recognising where a client sits helps us guide them toward better decisions and build stronger trust.

Willem Coetzee & Yan Ma: Design, context, and impact

Willem and Yan’s experience reinforced complementary ideas about how insights teams can scale impact.

Willem said that the conference sessions highlighted the importance of creating shared understanding between clients and researchers by bridging the gap between data exploration and decision-making. When teams work within a consistent framework, supported by the right tools, they can move faster without sacrificing quality. His examples underscored how Harmoni enables exactly that kind of collaboration, giving everyone a shared, trusted view of the data. 

Yan reinforced these ideas with a focus on design and the human side of insight. Yan highlighted how smaller teams can still create big impact when they apply the right focus and technology. “Seeking the truth means going beyond data points to understand people in context.” The combination of thoughtful research design and powerful technology enables teams to uncover what people do and why they do it, and that’s where meaningful decisions are made.

Why these takeaways matter to us

According to an 8-year study on Marketing Effectiveness from WARC (World Advertising Research Center), New Zealand has performed incredibly well considering the size of the country and strength of the economy. Over the last eight years, New Zealand has averaged ninth place and has twice finished fifth. Part of this success is due to a strong market research industry that supports marketing and other business functions.

RANZ has long played a central role in New Zealand’s insights ecosystem. This conference is a moment to pause, recalibrate, and catch sight of the horizon, especially as our industry wrestles with complexity, misinformation, algorithmic bias, and shifting cultural norms, “truth” is rarely simple.

For Infotools, the lessons from the New Zealand Insights Conference 2025 reaffirm our purpose: to partner with clients, not just supply them data. To help them see context, tell more meaningful stories, and make better decisions.