New Zealand’s three new world-class convention centres allow it to bid for events at a scale it had not previously been able to, with Australasian association conferences a key target area.

Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre opened in May 2022 in the revitalised city centre of Christchurch. Offering a 1400-seat tiered auditorium divisible into two 700-seat venues, it hosted 290 events In its first 13 months of operation, including 13 international conferences.

It has already won a number of events in its key sectors including the APSA Asian Seed Congress (agri/tech), the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Annual Scientific Congress (health); the Extreme Solar Systems V Conference, (aerospace) and the International Conference on Geomorphology (earth science).

Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre officially opened in May, with more than 50 conferences booked in its first year. Located opposite Wellington’s waterfront, Tākina is at the heart of the capital’s cultural precinct, with capacity for plenaries of up to 1,600.

The city is already attracting international and regional conferences in areas including education and science, including the Annual Scientific Meetings of The Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases Conference and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in 2024.

The New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) will be the largest new venue when it opens mid-2025. Rising in the centre of Auckland, it will cater for up to 4,000 people, including a theatre capacity of 2,850 people.

The NZICC has already confirmed 11 international conferences, including the World Indigenous Peoples Conference on Education (WIPCE) 2025, (3000 delegates); the International Coral Reef Symposium, and the Federation of Asian and Oceania Pest Managers Associations (FAOPMA) Conference (2500 delegates) in 2026.

For more information on bringing your next conference to New Zealand visit businessevents.newzealand.com.