The Retirement Villages Association of New Zealand holds its premier annual conference at Auckland's NZICC from 3-5 August 2026, with a national line-up of keynote speakers, sector leaders and the RVA Sustainability Awards gala dinner.
New Zealand's retirement village industry gathers in Auckland this winter as the RVA Conference 2026 runs from 3 to 5 August at the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC). Billed by its organiser as the premier event for the sector, the three-day programme is built for owners, operators, directors, developers and managers of the country's villages.
The conference is organised by the Retirement Villages Association of New Zealand (RVA), a voluntary, nationally based membership association representing operators, developers and managers of retirement villages across the country. The RVA notes that more than 53,000 New Zealanders now live in retirement villages, with roughly 130 people moving in each week, underscoring the scale of the constituency the association convenes. The RVA is headquartered in Wellington and runs the conference as its flagship annual gathering, this year under the principal sponsorship of ANZ Bank New Zealand.
The RVA has assembled a national line-up of keynote and sector speakers. Business leader David Gonski AC opens the conference as keynote speaker, with 1987 Rugby World Cup-winning captain and current New Zealand Rugby chair David Kirk delivering the Day Two opening keynote, and elite athlete and cancer survivor Josh Komen closing the programme. Broadcaster Scott (Scotty) Stevenson serves as Master of Ceremonies.
The agenda pairs sector governance with economic and social outlook. RVA President Graham Wilkinson opens proceedings, Associate Housing Minister Hon Tama Potaka delivers the Minister's address, and Retirement Commissioner David Boyle speaks to the sector's regulatory context. ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner provides a New Zealand economic update, demographer Mark McCrindle asks whether operators are "future ready," and a global leaders panel featuring Australian and UK-based specialists examines the future of retirement living. Sessions on regulatory reform, disputes resolution, AI strategy and a food-waste reduction toolkit round out a programme squarely aimed at the operational and strategic priorities of village operators.
The NZICC places delegates in the heart of Auckland's central business district. Its organiser highlights that the centre sits within walking distance of more than 4,500 hotel rooms of 4-star-plus quality, easing accommodation and delegate movement for a multi-day, out-of-town audience. The waterfront, galleries, restaurants, bars and shops are also within walking distance, giving attendees a compact CBD footprint for evening functions and downtime. A dedicated accommodation page offers delegates a reduced-room-rate code, and the social programme centres on the Gallagher Insurance Gala Dinner and RVA Sustainability Awards, scheduled for the evening of Tuesday 4 August at the NZICC.
A national association conference of this scale, staged over three days at the country's flagship convention centre with a full slate of ministerial, economic and international speakers, is a meaningful anchor tenant for Auckland's MICE calendar. It draws delegates from across New Zealand into the CBD in early August, filling hotel rooms and supporting the wider hospitality precinct at a quieter point in the year, and reinforces the NZICC's role as the venue of choice for large, sector-defining association gatherings.
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