The AusIMM New Zealand Branch will hold its 2026 Annual Conference from 24 to 26 August 2026 at Rydges Rotorua, drawing mining and metallurgy professionals to the Bay of Plenty under the theme "Responsible Resources, Smarter Decisions, and Sustainable Futures - Together".
The AusIMM New Zealand Branch Annual Conference 2026 is the New Zealand branch's flagship technical and networking event for the mining, resources and metallurgy sector. According to the organiser's official event page, it runs from Monday 24 to Wednesday 26 August 2026 at Rydges Rotorua, with a preceding Explorers Forum on Sunday 23 August that carries a special focus on geothermal sites. The 2026 theme is "Responsible Resources, Smarter Decisions, and Sustainable Futures - Together".
The conference is organised by the AusIMM New Zealand Branch Committee. AusIMM (the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy) is the professional body for people working across the minerals and resources sector in Australia and New Zealand. Its New Zealand Branch runs this conference annually as its principal gathering; enquiries and sponsorship interest are directed by the organiser to newzealand@ausimm.com.au.
The programme, as outlined by AusIMM, is built around keynote and invited speakers plus submitted abstracts, running Monday to Wednesday as a technical program alongside networking functions. Abstract submissions open 27 February 2026 and close 31 March 2026, with speaker notifications by 29 May 2026. The audience is professionals from the mining, metallurgy, exploration and broader resources sector across New Zealand and Australasia.
The confirmed venue is Rydges Rotorua, located in the Whakarewarewa area of Rotorua in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty. Rotorua is served by Rotorua Airport with domestic connections, and sits roughly an hour's drive from Tauranga and around three hours by road from Auckland, making it reachable for both trans-Tasman and domestic delegates. The city is a well-established conference and leisure destination with geothermal attractions and a concentration of accommodation, which suits a multi-day event with evening networking functions.
The conference brings a concentrated cohort of mining and resources-sector delegates into Rotorua for three days plus a pre-event forum, delivering multi-night business-event demand to a regional New Zealand destination during late August. Its recurring, association-driven nature makes it a dependable anchor for the local MICE calendar.
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