The IIA NZ Lunch 'n' Learn Bi-Monthly Luncheon serves as a platform for professionals in the field of risk management, internal auditing, and related disciplines to come together, network, and gain valuable insights and knowledge from industry experts. The purpose of these luncheons is to foster collaboration, share best practices, networking opportunities and promote continuous professional development. This event is offered as a hybrid event. All are welcome.

Topic: "Reflections on the UK Post Office Scandal - Then and Now: Could This Still Happen in 2025?"

Speakers: Dom Salmon and Ofer Reshef - Deloitte

We're pleased to invite you to our August IIA NZ Lunch n Learn event, where we will delve into the interesting topic of "Reflections on the UK Post Office Scandal - Then and Now: Could This Still Happen in 2025?"

Background:

The UK Post Office Scandal is regarded as one of the most significant miscarriages of justice in recent UK history. Spanning from 1999 to 2015, hundreds of sub-postmasters were wrongfully accused due to faults in the Horizon IT system. Despite raising concerns, many were prosecuted based on flawed data. Earlier this year, we heard directly from Ron Warmington, the lead UK investigator of the Post Office Scandal, who shared valuable insights into UK systemic failures and governance breakdowns.

We are now shifting the lens to the present and future: What if a scandal like the UK Post Office case were to happen today? Have similar failures already occurred in Aotearoa or internationally under different guises? What signals might we be missing, and what mechanisms need strengthening to prevent such systemic breakdowns? This upcoming session builds on the UK Post Office case study and extends the conversation by exploring real-world parallels, evolving risks, and how internal audit, governance, and assurance professionals can play a more proactive role in safeguarding against future failures. It offers a multi-perspective discussion designed to raise critical awareness, challenge assumptions, and reinforce ethical leadership and organisational resilience.

Session Format:

• Speaker 1 (Dom Salmon - Deloitte): An exploration of the UK Post Office Scandal (1999-2015), highlighting the ethical and assurance failures that allowed systemic injustice to persist. This session will reflect on lessons learned and how to strengthen safeguards to prevent similar failures today.

• Speaker 2 (Ofer Reshef - Deloitte): Will respond through an IT governance lens, discussing controls, cybersecurity, and whether such failures could still happen today