She suggested a Beehive banquet hall hangi, seminars and social events.
"Give them a platform to contribute to this nation's prosperity with their unique experiences gained overseas. Like a reverse brain drain," she said.
In a speech highlighted by a tribute to her former teacher Neil Akehurst, who was in the audience, Dr Evans called on business to contribute towards educating its future workers.
"To those business people, hospital and education directors I pose the question: What are you doing to ensure the future supply of top talent in New Zealand?" she asked.
"Industries can sponsor school trips to factories and research labs, industry employees can give talks and demonstrations at schools, industrial managers can get involved with school curriculums so that the skills needed in real life jobs are being taught.
"A lot of the curriculums at university have no reality to those that are out there [in industry].
"We need to have more interaction between business and the education system. Invest time and money in the education of the future workforce."
An expatriate working for management consultants McKinsey & Co in New York, Ian Narev, said the internet and the coming of fast broadband communications gave New Zealand the opportunity to "scale up" its business ideas to the world stage despite our isolation.
"Thanks to the knowledge wave, specialist knowledge is picked up and delivered effortlessly throughout the world. The best ideas can have global impact," he said.
"This creates a real opportunity to keep talented New Zealanders here and bring others from all over the globe to New Zealand ...
"If we get it right, we can all ride the knowledge wave to greater prosperity, as good old Kiwi ingenuity is reinvented as pockets of world-class specialisation."
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