Te Pūkenga and Massey University Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa have won their joint bid to host the International Council for Open and Distance Education’s (ICDE) 30th World Conference in Wellington in 2025.
The biennial event will take place at Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre in November 2025 and attract more than 800 international leaders in the field of open and distance learning to New Zealand’s capital. The win was announced at this year’s ICDE World Conference in Costa Rica.
Mark Nichols, event co-chair representing Te Pūkenga and ICDE Board member, said hosting this international ICDE event will put Te Pūkenga and Massey University’s innovative work in broadening access to tertiary education on the world stage.
ICDE is the leading global membership association working towards bringing accessible, quality education to all through Open, Flexible and Distance Learning (OFDL). It is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation, with more than 320 members and partners worldwide.
ICDE celebrates its 85th anniversary this year and has organised international conferences on OFDL since its inception in 1938.
Business Events Wellington manager Irette Ferreira said the win aligns with the city’s strength in the education sector. Wellington is home to several internationally recognised universities and tertiary institutions, as well as being close to the Open Polytechnic business division of Te Pūkenga and Massey University, where Aotearoa New Zealand’s leaders in open and distance learning are based.
She added: “Hosting a conference focused on removing barriers to education also directly supports the city’s Economic Wellbeing Strategy which identifies lifelong learning and online learning as important components in the development of Wellington’s future labour market.”
The conference bid was submitted with support from Business Events Wellington and Tourism New Zealand and will be organised by PCO Conference Innovators.
