Experiences

Safe Smart Savvy: A Three-Session Series to Help You Stay Safe Online

AcademyEX, Grafton

Auckland

Get directions

16–30 Nov 2026

Mondays, 10:00am to 12:00pm

$165.00 per person

Presenter: Paula Gair

Title: Safe Smart Savvy: A Three-Session Series to Help You Stay Safe Online

Abstract:

How confident do you feel keeping yourself and the people you care about, safe in an increasingly digital world?

From scams and passwords to privacy, AI and fake information, being online is harder to navigate than it used to. Safe Smart Savvy is a practical three-session series designed to help you better understand the risks, recognise the warning signs and build simple habits that make everyday online life safer and more manageable.

Across the three sessions, we’ll explore how to protect your devices and important online accounts, take greater control of your personal information and privacy, and become more confident identifying misinformation, fake images, videos and voices in the age of AI.

You’ll learn how common scams work and how to recognise them, why strong passwords and two-step login matter, what your apps and devices may know about you, and how to adjust privacy and sharing settings. We’ll also look at why false information spreads so easily, how AI is making it increasingly difficult to distinguish real from fake, and some straightforward ways to check information before you believe or share it.

The sessions are relaxed, practical and designed for everyday technology users - no technical knowledge is required.

The three sessions are:

Monday 16th November - Cyber Savvy: Protecting Your Devices and Online Accounts - Learn how scams work and how to strengthen the security of your devices, passwords, banking, email and other important accounts.
Monday 23rd November - Privacy Savvy: Keeping Your Personal Information Private and Safe - Understand what information your devices and apps collect, how to manage privacy settings and permissions, and what you should think carefully about before sharing online or with AI tools.
Monday 30th November - Real or Fake? Spotting Misinformation and Disinformation in the Age of AI - Discover how fake images, video, audio and stories are created and shared, and learn practical ways to investigate what you see and hear before deciding whether to trust it.

All sessions will run from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.

The series can be attended as a complete three-session programme, giving you a broader toolkit for navigating the digital world with greater confidence or as individual workshops.

Key Takeaways:

Build confidence across the essentials of online safety: Learn practical ways to protect your accounts and devices, manage your privacy and recognise scams, misinformation and increasingly sophisticated AI-generated content.
Create safer digital habits for yourself and those around you: Leave with simple checklists, trusted resources and achievable actions you can use to help keep yourself, friends and family safer online.

Please note: You will not be asked to share any personal information during this session. The focus is on practical knowledge, demonstrations and useful tips. You’ll leave with a checklist and access to resources to help keep yourself, friends and family safer online. As AI becomes smarter, getting the basics right is more important than ever.

Venue:

academyEX is located on the ground floor of 99 Khyber Pass Road, Grafton, Auckland.

Parking:

academyEX is located on the ground floor of 99 Khyber Pass Road, which is on the corner of Khyber Pass Road and Nugent Street. The main entrance is off Nugent Street. If you are driving, there are Parkable spots available in the basement, accessible from Nugent Street. Please note there are two separate ramps, both with a traffic light system, one heading down to the basement. Please do not park on the roof. Please ensure you have downloaded the parkable app https://parkable.com/downloadapp prior to arriving. You can either take the stairs or the lift to the ground floor.

About the expert

Paula Gair

Paula Gair is a passionate advocate for lifelong learning. Her work is focused on the safe and ethical use of technology including AI, Cyber Security, Privacy and Online Harm Reduction as well as Organisational Strategy, Governance and Risk. Paula completed her Master’s research on cyber, privacy and online risks and mitigation strategies for non-technical audiences, incorporating insights from behavioural science. She now supports businesses and leaders navigating AI adoption in order to align innovation with responsible technology use. She also teaches and supervises postgraduate students at AcademyEX across diverse academic Masters research projects that are aiming to create positive impact across diverse sectors navigating complexity and disruption. Paula brings a global perspective, having supported major digital transformations for global NGOs and businesses: living and working across 10 countries in Asia, Europe, and the Americas before returning home to Aotearoa New Zealand.