New Zealand’s newest convention centre provided the space for one of Australasia’s largest medical colleges to return to Auckland
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The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) returned to New Zealand in 2026 for the first time in 10 years, with the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) in Auckland finally providing a single venue large enough to house the meeting.
The ASM welcomed 1,871 delegates, plus 323 online, not just from Australia and New Zealand, but also Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Ireland, the UK, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste, for the major gathering for the anaesthesia, pain medicine, and perioperative care community.
Nicole Phillips, associate professor from the Fellowship of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (FANZCA), and director of Professional Affairs ASM, said: “It’s a great opportunity to showcase the talent that exists in New Zealand. Some amazing anaesthetists and pain specialists have been able to share with us their research, their mentoring, and their wellbeing initiatives.”
The meeting successfully staged more than 100 practical workshops, 215 presentations, 56 sessions, 228 e-posters, and a sold-out exhibition.
ANZCA executive director of Fellowship Affairs Jan Sharrock said: “We’ve waited a long time to come to NZICC, and we would have to say the venue is spectacular. The systems, the people, the space; we couldn’t be happier.”
A safe harbour for fresh perspectives
The ASM was co-designed from the beginning to incorporate Māori culture, opening with a traditional Pōwhiri welcome and featuring sessions on equity and culturally safe leadership.
Kerry Benson-Cooper, FANZCA, 2026 ANZCA ASN convenor said: “I have a firm belief that promoting that partnership does the best for our people, for our patients and for our whanau.”
Cooper collaborated with cultural advisors on the 2026 ASM theme and artwork, ‘Herenga waka, herenga tāngata: From home to home’. A herenga waka is where waka (canoes) are anchored at a safe harbour or resting point, reflecting the specialty as a place of safety, care, and connection.
A proud highlight of the event was the Welcome Reception and College Ceremony where the ANZCA artwork was projected onto the Sky Tower, lighting up Auckland’s skyline.
Phillips noted: “I’ve learnt an enormous amount about Māori culture, but not in an intimidating, inaccessible way. We certainly have a lot to learn from the work that’s being done in New Zealand around cultural safety and health inequities. I’d really like to be able to take some of that back to my own communities and hospitals.”
The event also supported the future of anaesthesia, with an Emerging Leaders Conference held prior to the ASM at Rydges Formosa Auckland Golf Resort for early career anaesthetists and pain specialists.
The Auckland meeting also welcomed the largest cohort in the ASM’s pre-vocational initiative, attracting 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Māori pre-vocational doctors and medical students with financial support from ANZCA.
Even the very young got involved, with 30 of the delegates’ children, aged 4 to 14, attending a “bring your kids to work” session designed to educate and inspire at the clinical skills centre at Auckland City Hospital.
Operating in the heart of Auckland
As well as CPD sessions at Auckland City Hospital, delegates also got to make the most of Auckland’s attractions including a harbour sailing trip and tours of Wētā Workshop Unleashed and the All Blacks Experience.
Caring for the physical and mental health of workers in the sector was a focal point of the ASM, and delegates could join a fun run and walk, breathwork session, kayaking on the Waitematā Harbour, or mountain biking in Woodhill.
Tanya Selak, ANZCA President added: “Auckland has turned into an absolutely dynamic, vibrant, incredible place. I’ve had terrific feedback from our delegates.”
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