The New Zealand Dermatological Society Incorporated holds its 2026 Annual Conference from 26-29 August 2026 at the Claudelands Event Centre in Hamilton, with international keynotes Professor April Armstrong and Dr John Sullivan.
The New Zealand Dermatological Society Incorporated (NZDSI) Annual Conference 2026 will be held from 26 to 29 August 2026 at the Claudelands Event Centre in Hamilton. The conference confirms two international keynote speakers: Professor April Armstrong, Chief of Dermatology at the University of California, and Dr John Sullivan of Kingsway Dermatology, the University of NSW Clinical School and St George & Sutherland Hospitals in Sydney.
The conference is the annual scientific meeting of NZDSI, a not-for-profit incorporated society of around 70 New Zealand dermatologists first established in 1948. The society has a long record of yearly meetings - recent editions include Queenstown in 2023, Dunedin in 2024 and Wellington in 2025 - and it supported the 1996 launch of the internationally used skin-health resource DermNet NZ. The 2026 edition is co-convened by Professor Amanda Oakley and Dr Karen Koch, with an organising committee of Dr Lydia Chan, Dr Moushumi Das, Dr Reinhard Gansel and Dr Geetika Seth, and is professionally managed by Outshine.
This is a specialist medical and scientific congress aimed at dermatologists, dermatology trainees and allied skin-health professionals. The programme is deliberately structured to help NZDSI members meet the RACP's mandatory continuing professional development requirements, with designated CPD sessions and an incorporated audit-report activity. Alongside the core scientific sessions, the conference includes a laser workshop and industry-sponsored sessions, and it carries an abstract stream (submissions open 13 March and close 7 June 2026) that feeds peer-reviewed dermatology research.
Claudelands Event Centre sits at Gate 4, Brooklyn Road, Claudelands, in Kirikiriroa Hamilton - an award-winning conference and exhibition venue a short stroll from the Hamilton CBD, with ample free on-site parking and green outdoor space. Delegate access is straightforward: Hamilton Airport is about a 15-minute drive from the city centre and now carries direct flights from Wellington, Christchurch, Sydney and the Gold Coast, with the Christchurch route upgraded to larger A320 aircraft. Delegates can also reach the city by Intercity coach, by Great Journeys NZ rail from Auckland and Wellington, or by road via the SH1 expressway from Auckland. The Waikato setting adds off-programme draws including Hobbiton, the Hamilton Gardens and the Waitomo Caves, all within a short drive.
A four-day national medical congress with confirmed international faculty is a meaningful win for Hamilton and the Waikato, showcasing Claudelands' capacity to host a specialist scientific meeting with an exhibition and workshop footprint. Its rotation into Hamilton - following recent host cities such as Wellington, Dunedin and Queenstown - underlines the growing spread of high-value association business events beyond New Zealand's largest centres.
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