Brook Turner’s journey began as a high school dropout who left school with the belief that academic success was beyond his reach. 

Reflecting on his early experiences, he said, “In school, I always felt I wasn’t good enough. I left there thinking I could never achieve academically.

“I just couldn’t remember and retain things. I had dyslexic tendencies and needed to read everything twice in order for it to go in,” he says. 

“AI won't replace humans, but humans with AI will replace humans without AI – at least in the short-to-medium term,” says Senior Manager for GenAI at PwC New Zealand, Kayur Patel, who delivered the opening address at this week’s Auckland Region Accounting Conference (ARA) hosted by the School of Applied Business at Unitec.

Kayur’s address to more than 80 participants including teaching staff and industry professionals, looked at the risks and benefits of GenAI, its impact on accounting and finance professionals as well as the skills required for future accountants.