Welcome to Women in Data Science NZ, Auckland December 2026

WiDS Ambassadors plan an event in their area that coincides with the Women in Data Science (WiDS) Worldwide Conference. They are in their regions supporting women who are currently in the field and inspiring other women to become data scientists. The New Zealand WiDS co-ambassadors for 2026 December event are Kate Kolich and Ivy Liu who volunteer their time to organise WiDS NZ.

This is Kate's ninth year as a WiDS ambassador and this year she is also a member of the global WiDS ambassador advisory council https://www.widsconference.org/aac.html

Kate Kolich - Head of Data and Artificial Intelligence Contact Energy

Kate Kolich - WiDS NZ Ambassador and Co-chair

Kate is the Head of Data and Artificial Intelligence at Contact Energy. She is a recognised leader in data, digital, and innovation with over 25 years of experience across public and private sectors with senior roles at Reserve Bank of New Zealand, EECA, Social Investment Agency and Bank of New Zealand. Named one of the top 100 innovators in data and analytics by Corinium Global Intelligence in 2024, she’s led transformative data strategies, championed digital innovation, and won multiple industry awards. A passionate advocate for women in STEM, Kate has been co-chair of Women in Data Science New Zealand for night years and serves on the global WiDS advisory council. Kate is a member of the Victoria University of Wellington Centre for Data Science & Artificial Intelligence advisory board. Kate has a BA and Master of Information Management from Victoria University of Wellington and a Certificate in Strategic Innovation from MIT Sloan School.

Ivy Liu - Victoria University of Wellington

Ivy Liu is a Professor in Statistics and Deputy Director in the Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence at Victoria University of Wellington. Her main research area is in Categorical Data Analysis, including ordinal response data analysis, cluster analysis, longitudinal data analysis, repeated measurements, and their applications. A/Prof Liu is currently the Postgraduate Coordinator for Statistics in School of Mathematics and Statistics and an Associate Editor for Australian & New Zealand Journal of Statistics. Previously, she was the Head of School in School of Mathematics and Statistics to lead the development of several programmes.