The New Zealand Hydrological Society and Rivers Group hold their joint 2026 conference at the Rutherford Hotel Nelson, 17–20 November, themed 'Ripple Effects'.
The New Zealand Hydrological Society and the Rivers Group will hold their joint 2026 conference at the Rutherford Hotel Nelson from 17 to 20 November 2026, with a pōwhiri at Whakatū Marae on Monday 16 November opening proceedings. Organisers have set the theme as "Ripple Effects — understanding the impacts of today's decisions in a changing environment," and the event also marks the Hydrological Society's 65th anniversary. Confirmed keynote speakers include James Renwick, Simon Upton, Brad Olsen and Clare Feeney.
The conference is a joint undertaking of two New Zealand water-sector bodies. The New Zealand Hydrological Society describes its mission as supporting and fostering hydrology in New Zealand and elsewhere. The Rivers Group, per its own site, is a forum formed in 2009 for people involved with flood risk management and the operational and environmental issues of catchments and river systems, promoting a cross-disciplinary approach that spans science, engineering and Mātauranga Māori.
The organisers list the event as co-chaired by Damian Velluppillai of Tonkin+Taylor, representing the Rivers Group, and Joseph Thomas of Tasman District Council, representing the Hydrological Society. Conference management is handled by OnCue Conferences.
The programme points to an audience of water professionals, researchers and students. According to the conference site, it brings together technical concurrent sessions, a poster session, the two societies' AGMs, an Early Career Researchers lunch and an NZHS student prize, alongside welcome and social functions. The stated aim is to bring the hydrology and rivers fields together to address shared challenges, celebrate achievements and explore opportunities.
The Rutherford Hotel Nelson sits at 27 Nile Street West in central Nelson, near Trafalgar Square. The regional tourism body Nelson Tasman describes it as a heritage hotel with 113 guest rooms and six conference spaces, meaning delegates can be accommodated on site. It lists Nelson Airport as a 15-minute drive away; Nelson is served by domestic flights from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. A field trip day on 20 November is scheduled to the Waimea Dam and downstream users including orchards and market gardens, departing from the conference.
A four-day national conference drawing hydrologists, river engineers and policy specialists to a single Nelson venue concentrates accommodation, catering and off-site field-trip demand in the top of the South Island in mid-November. For the regional business-events sector it is a repeat-format professional gathering with keynote programming, AGMs and a conference dinner — the kind of multi-day technical conference that anchors shoulder-season activity for a destination like Nelson.
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