National fire brigades' body takes its 2026 AGM hui to Auckland's NZICC

A national association hui heads to Auckland

The United Fire Brigades' Association (UFBA) has scheduled its 2026 AGM and Conference Hui at the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC) in central Auckland. UFBA's own events listing confirms NZICC Auckland as the host venue, while the directory listing places the start on 23 October 2026; the association's dedicated event page for the hui is live, though its full day-by-day dates and times were not independently retrievable at the time of writing.

The gathering combines the association's formal Annual General Meeting with a wider conference programme, a pairing UFBA runs each year and refers to as its "AGM and Conference Hui."

Who runs it

UFBA is New Zealand's national body for fire brigades, established in 1878. According to its own website, the association "represent[s] and provide[s] services to over 690 different brigades" serving "nearly 14,000 individuals," and works alongside Fire and Emergency New Zealand to advocate for volunteerism and the interests of brigades. The organisation notes it has been "integral to the development of the service" and points to protections for volunteers under the FENZ Act 2017.

The conference is a long-running fixture: UFBA marked its 145th AGM in 2023, and the 2024 edition was held at Te Pae in Christchurch over 1-3 November 2024, with registration handled through Gilpine Events (per UFBA's AGM and Conference Hui page). The event rotates host cities year to year, with 2026 landing in Auckland.

Who it is for and what happens

Delegates are drawn from volunteer and career fire brigades across the country, together with UFBA members, brigade leadership and sector partners. The formal AGM component covers board addresses, minutes and member business, while the surrounding hui historically adds keynote sessions, professional development and recognition of service. The specific 2026 speaker line-up and session schedule had not been published on reachable pages at the time of research.

Venue and delegate movement

The NZICC is Auckland's largest purpose-built convention centre, part of the SkyCity precinct on the edge of the CBD. The venue describes offering meeting, conference and exhibition spaces with capacity for up to 4,500 guests in its largest hall. Its central-city location puts delegates within walking distance of a large concentration of Auckland accommodation, including the hotels of the surrounding SkyCity precinct, and close to the Sky Tower and the city's rail and bus links; Auckland Airport is roughly a 30-40 minute drive south. For a national association drawing attendees from brigades nationwide, a downtown venue with walkable hotels and direct airport transfers reduces the internal transport load across a multi-day programme.

Why it matters in NZ business events

The hui is a recurring anchor in New Zealand's association-events calendar, bringing a nationwide membership base together annually. Its 2026 placement at the NZICC reflects the continued draw of Auckland's flagship new convention venue for large domestic association conferences, and gives the association sector a high-capacity, central-city home for a gathering with more than a century of history behind it.