2026 NZ Bird Conference Details

The 2026 New Zealand Bird Conference and 86th Annual General Meeting of Birds New Zealand will be hosted at the Lake Wānaka Centre, 89 Ardmore Street, Wānaka.

The Conference Programme, Abstracts and AGM files will be available closer to the time.

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CONFERENCE REGISTRATION

The primary method of registration is online. Registration details and further information about the programme, field trips and accommodation options are set out below. Note: A separate registration is required for each person attending the conference and/or dinner, to enable the organisers to have a record of all attendees and any special requirements.

Members sign in to get your discounted rate by clicking on the ‘Sign In’ link on the Registration page. Members not having internet access can obtain a registration form by contacting their local Regional Representative. The registration form can also be downloaded as PDF

If you are a Family member with an email address that is not yet recorded in the system, please ask your main member to login and add your email address. If you don’t have your own email address, then please download and complete the registration form and send it to conference@birdsnz.org.nz

PAYMENT OPTIONS

(1) The preferred option is to register online and pay by direct deposit to:  Ornithological Society of New Zealand – Otago Branch, 03-0903-0392455-000. Be sure to include your initials and surname in the particulars/reference code.

(2) You can also register online and pay by credit card; please note that this incurs a fee payable to the service provider.

(3) If unable to register online, contact Gary Heaven 021 896698, he will assist you with your registration.

SCIENTIFIC PRESENTATIONS AND POSTERS

Expressions of interest from members or non-members who wish to present a paper or a poster are welcomed. Abstracts of talks and posters should be submitted to conference@birdsnz.org.nz by 28 February 2026. Oral presentations will take place across the first two days of the conference, and posters will be on display for the duration. These may cover any aspects of ornithology. Full details are available at https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/nz-bird-conference-2026/conference-details/call-for-abstracts/.

FIELD TRIPS

On Monday 1 June, a variety of exciting field trips will be available. Please note that space is limited – if an option is not available then that trip has been fully subscribed. In the event of cancellations, we will re-open bookings; you can select to be waitlisted in the meantime. The trips are weather-dependent and may be cancelled at short notice.  All trips include transport, however participants will be responsible for their own lunch. 

1.   Wānaka Wetland Tour               
2.   Blue Pools Forest Walk                    
3.   Rob Roy Glacier Hike
4.   Mou Waho Island Visit
5.   Tiel Valley Discovery Flight

Details are available at https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/nz-bird-conference-2026/conference-details/field-trip-details/

WORKSHOPS

Possible workshop options we are considering running are listed below. Please select any of these workshops that you would be interested in attending. This is to help in planning and does not commit you to attending at this stage (or us to offering this workshop).

• Mist Netting Workshop, Monday 1st June from 7am       
  An ideal opportunity for level 1 banders to gain some experience in setting mist nets, extracting and banding birds. Level 3 banders welcome to help with training. Restricted to 10 people, it will be weather dependent.
• Faunatech Workshop, Monday 1st June from 9am                         
  Bioacoustics is increasingly becoming a valuable tool for biologists, environmental scientists and researchers to survey and monitor wildlife populations. Faunatech, a proud part of Wildlife Acoustics, will be hosting a workshop showcasing how their Song Meter Acoustic Recorders can be integrated into projects as a non-invasive, cost effective, and unbiased tool. For those present on Friday, a short session demonstrating deployment in the field is planned. On Monday, Faunatech will run a data analysis workshop using Kaleidoscope software to discover what birds are present in the local area. To maximise workshop time, Faunatech will also arrange free online training in Kaleidoscope prior to the conference. Learn more at faunatech.com.au
• eBird Methods update Dan Burgin                                                        
  eBird tutorial/ discussion, Q&A session

TRAVEL

Please book flights to arrive in Wānaka early. The Wānaka isite have both shared and private shuttle options available, and all need to be pre-booked. As the local ticketing office for all companies, they can assist with bookings.

Pre-booked shared shuttle from Queenstown Airport:
     Departs daily: 9:15am, 11:15am, 2:45pm & 5:00pm
     Price: $40pp

Booking details again:  email hello@wanaka.co.nz or call (+64) 03 443 1233 (9 AM – 5 PM daily).

ACCOMMODATION

The conference will be held at the Lake Wānaka Centre, 89 Ardmore Street, Wānaka.

Venue location:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/HHDjFj6GB4c4WVXw7
About the venue:  https://www.qldc.govt.nz/venues/lake-wanaka-centre/

Wānaka isite have secured a selection of accommodation options for our members that are currently on hold for us, this includes the whole accommodation capacity at the Wānaka Hotel next door to the conference venue. Their reservations cover the period of 28 May 2026 to 2 June 2026 (5 nights).

Other accommodation options secured include:

• Wānaka Luxury Apartments
• Oakridge Resort Wānaka
• Alpine Resort Wānaka – Managed by THC Hotels & Resorts

To secure your accommodation booking, please email hello@wanaka.co.nz or call them at (+64) 03 443 1233 (available 9 AM – 5 PM daily) and let them know you are booking for the BirdsNZ 2026 Conference.

A deposit of one night’s accommodation is required immediately after the Wānaka isite confirms your booking.

Wānaka isite Accommodation Cancellation Policy:

• 90% refund of deposit available until: 28 February 2026
• Full payment due: 1 March 2026
• 90% refund of full payment available until: 24 April 2026
• No refunds after: 25 April 2026

FLEDGLING FUND FOR STUDENTS

The Society administers a ‘Fledgling Fund’ for students to be used specifically to support the participation of student members for presenting papers or posters at Birds NZ Conferences. The fund is accumulative and dispersed in subsequent years. Members and non-members are invited to make a contribution of $20, or more, to this fund when registering. Payment is optional and appreciated. The allocation of funds will be determined by Council each year.

Student members of Birds New Zealand are invited to apply for a grant from the Fledgling Fund to cover their conference registration fee and attendance of the conference dinner. Applicants must have been a student member of Birds New Zealand for two or more years and enrolled full-time at a NZ tertiary institution or secondary school. A grant from the Fledgling fund shall only be made once to each student member. Download the criteria and application form here. Applications should be submitted to the Executive Officer eo@birdsnz.org.nz by 28 February.

PHOTO COMPETITION

Conference attendees are invited to enter their photos into the 2026 Birds NZ photo competition. Details are available at https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/nz-bird-conference-2026/conference-details/photo-competition/

CONTACTS

If you have any queries, you can contact the conference organiser via conference@birdsnz.org.nz

NOTES

Refunds
Following registration, if you are unable to attend, a full refund will be made for cancellations advised up to 1 May 2026, after which no refunds will be made. In the event of cancellation or re-selection of field trips, refund of the price difference will be made after the conference.

Health & Safety
The Society is committed to hosting a safe conference where all registrants can enjoy each other’s company and actively support the Health and Safety Policy and health regulations in force at the time of conference. A Conference Health & Safety Plan is available here

Disclaimer
In the event of other unforeseen circumstances (industrial or otherwise) that disrupt the conference, the organisers accept no responsibility. The information on the conference website and in the printed material is correct at the time of publication. However, the conference organisers reserve the right to change information if required and to adjust the conference programme accordingly.

Privacy Act
The information on this form will be used solely for the purposes of organising and planning the conference. If you do not wish to have your name published as part of this conference or made available to other delegates, please advise us of this conference@birdsnz.org.nz.

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