Journal
Editorial deep dive

'Roots of Resilience': NZ Arb's Annual Conference heads to Rotorua's Energy Events Centre, 29–31 October 2026

MICE editorial — 02 October 2026 Rotorua Tier A

The NZ Arb Annual Conference 2026, themed 'Roots of Resilience', runs 29–31 October 2026 at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua, organised by the New Zealand Arboricultural Association with OnCue Conferences. It features international keynotes from the UK and USA, a business and technical programme, and the concurrent Husqvarna National Tree Climbing Championship.

Roots of Resilience: NZ Arb heads to Rotorua in October 2026

The New Zealand Arboricultural Association will hold its 2026 Annual Conference from 29 to 31 October 2026 at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua, according to the event's dedicated website at nzarbconference.co.nz. Themed "Roots of Resilience," the programme spans tree management, climate adaptation, safety and industry development, and runs alongside the Husqvarna National Tree Climbing Championship.

The conference site is live, with the programme, registration and accommodation pages all confirming the Rotorua dates and venue.

Who runs it

The conference is organised by the New Zealand Arboricultural Association (NZ Arb), in association with Asplundh, with conference management handled by OnCue Conferences, per the event website. NZ Arb describes itself on nzarb.org.nz as the leading voice of arboriculture in Aotearoa and has represented the tree-care profession since its establishment in 1989, giving the annual conference a long-running institutional base.

Who it's for and programme

The event is aimed at arboriculture professionals, from climbers and contractors to urban-forest managers. The 2026 programme, published on the conference site, features two international keynotes: Dr Andrew Hirons of Myerscough College in the UK, speaking on tree selection for a changing climate and applied tree biology, and Em Roberts of Clackamas College in the USA, on ethics and collaboration in arboriculture. Core sessions cover storm resilience, utility arboriculture safety, forest pathology, tree risk assessment and industry regulation, alongside a business stream on team management and scaling operations. The concurrent Husqvarna National Tree Climbing Championship, the Hansa New Arborist of the Year and an Industry Awards Dinner round out the week, with optional field trips.

Venue and delegate context

The Energy Events Centre sits in Government Gardens on the edge of Lake Rotorua. Per Rotorua NZ's venue listing, it seats up to 4,000 delegates theatre-style (2,600 for a banquet) and includes the pillar-free 3,500-square-metre Unison Arena, with extensive free parking and walking-distance access to the CBD, restaurants and spa facilities. The conference's accommodation page lists the Millennium, Sudima, Pullman, Novotel and Ibis hotels, all in central or lakeside Rotorua close to the venue, making the event highly walkable for delegates.

Why it matters for NZ MICE

The conference is a recurring national association event that fills a mid-week slot in late October at one of the North Island's largest purpose-built conference venues, pairing an indoor programme with outdoor competition space. Its established organiser, professional conference management and confirmed international speaker line-up make it a reliable fixture for Rotorua's business-events calendar and a useful example of a sector association anchoring multi-day delegate activity outside the main centres.

More from the Journal

All journal
Journal

Geoscience Society of New Zealand takes its 2026 conference to Rotorua's Toi Ohomai, 30 November–3 December

The Geoscience Society of New Zealand holds its 2026 annual conference (Geoscience 2026) from 30 November to 3 December 2026 at the Toi Ohomai campus in Rotorua, alongside the EarthFest public festival - not in Dunedin as the directory listed.

Rotorua04 Oct 2026
Journal

FOMA's national gathering becomes the Economic Forum 2026, landing at Te Puia in Rotorua on 12 June

FOMA's 2026 flagship national gathering, branded the FOMA Economic Forum 2026, is a one-day conference on Māori economic leadership and enterprise held at Te Puia in Rotorua on 12 June 2026, closing with the FOMA Awards Gala Dinner.

Rotorua04 Oct 2026
Journal

Corporate team building in Rotorua

A planner's guide to corporate team building in Rotorua, with 33 listed activity operators across adventure, water, cultural, culinary and wellness experiences.

Rotorua02 Oct 2026
Journal

Adventure and adrenaline team building activities in Rotorua

Adventure team building in Rotorua — luge and gondola, zorbing, canopy ziplines, mountain biking the Redwoods, jet sprint and 4WD off-roading.

Rotorua01 Oct 2026
Journal

SuperLocal 2026: LGNZ's flagship local-government conference heads to Rotorua

Local Government New Zealand's flagship SuperLocal conference and awards run 14-15 October 2026 at the Energy Events Centre in Rotorua, bringing elected members and council leaders together for two days of plenaries, breakouts and the SuperLocal Awards.

Rotorua27 Sept 2026
Journal

PCOs & DMCs in Rotorua

No PCO is headquartered in Rotorua, but 26 NZ PCOs and 17 DMCs run events here — backed by 136 venues and NZ's largest pool of incentive activities.

Rotorua25 Sept 2026