The International Play Association's triennial World Conference comes to Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre from 2-5 November 2026 - the first time the global children's-right-to-play congress has been held in the Southern Hemisphere, with around 1,000 delegates expected.
The International Play Association (IPA) World Conference 2026 brings the world's leading triennial gathering on the child's right to play to Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre from 2-5 November 2026. Around 1,000 delegates are expected, and according to organiser Play Aotearoa the event has already drawn registrations from 25 countries. It marks the first time in the conference's history that the Southern Hemisphere has hosted the congress.
The conference is staged by the International Play Association, the global body that, per its own account, was founded in 1961 to protect, preserve and promote the child's right to play as a fundamental human right recognised under Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. On-the-ground organisation is led by IPA's New Zealand branch, Play Aotearoa, chaired by Dr Damien Puddle. The Christchurch edition follows previous host cities including Glasgow (2023), Calgary (2017), Istanbul (2014), Cardiff (2011) and Hong Kong (2008), as listed by IPA World. The 2026 hosting rights were secured through a bid presented at the 2023 Glasgow conference, supported by ChristchurchNZ and Tourism New Zealand Business Events, Play Aotearoa general manager Toni Talijancich has said.
The conference convenes play practitioners, researchers, educators, designers and businesses from around the world. Play Aotearoa says the programme is built around inclusion, Indigenous play, innovation and children's rights, and runs across keynote presentations, workshops, panels, oral presentations, networking events, a film night and field trips exploring play and public space. Announced New Zealand speakers include Dr Nicole Penetito-Hemara, Dr Miriam McCaleb, Dr Sarah Aiono and Dr Gayle Souter-Brown, alongside international voices such as Dr Maxwell Hartt of Canada and Australian artist Mike Hewson.
Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre sits in the central city at 188 Oxford Terrace on the banks of the Ōtākaro Avon River. The venue states it can accommodate between 50 and 2,000 people, with a 1,364-seat tiered auditorium that divides into two, an 860-seat riverside banquet space and 2,800 square metres of divisible exhibition space - a footprint that comfortably absorbs a 1,000-delegate congress. Its central location places accommodation, dining and the city's walkable core around it, and the Margaret Mahy Playground - over 16,000 square metres and able to host up to 1,000 people for outdoor events - sits one block away, a natural fit for a conference on play. Christchurch Airport provides the South Island's main international gateway into the city.
Landing a triennial international association congress of this scale is a notable win for New Zealand business events: it brings roughly 1,000 international delegates to Ōtautahi in a single week, showcases Te Pae as a venue for large multi-day academic and sector conferences, and - as Talijancich framed it - puts Christchurch on the map for the global play sector while introducing its bicultural, diverse and inclusive approach to an international audience. The Southern Hemisphere first also signals the reach of the ChristchurchNZ and Tourism New Zealand Business Events bid pipeline.
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