Three dental associations, one congress: the New Zealand Dental Congress 2026 at the NZICC

What the New Zealand Dental Congress 2026 is

The New Zealand Dental Congress 2026 runs from Thursday 27 to Saturday 29 August 2026 at the New Zealand International Convention Centre in central Auckland. It is billed by its organisers as the country's biggest dental event of the year - a combined congress that opens with a shared session before each participating association runs its own tailored scientific programme, with select open sessions for cross-discipline collaboration and a shared industry expo running alongside.

Who runs it

The congress is delivered jointly by three bodies: the New Zealand Dental Association (NZDA), the New Zealand Oral Health Association (NZOHA) and the New Zealand Institute of Dental Technologists (NZIDT). Bringing the three associations under one roof is the defining feature of the 2026 event - dentists, oral-health practitioners and dental technologists convening together rather than in separate meetings - with Colgate named as principal sponsor.

Who it's for

The programme is built for the full dental team: a dentist programme, an Oral Health Practitioner (OHP) forum, a Team Day programme, pre-congress courses and an employment fair, alongside the NZDA Awards and a social programme. That structure reflects the combined-association model, spanning the clinical, oral-health and technical sides of the profession in a single congress.

The venue and the logistics

The congress is held at the New Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC), which its organisers describe as a world-class, large-scale venue in the heart of Auckland city, with main entrances on Hobson Street, Wellesley Street West and Nelson Street. The CBD location places much of Auckland's convention-grade accommodation within walking distance of the venue. For a national congress drawing delegates from across the country and an exhibiting supplier base, the airport transfer corridor between Auckland Airport and the central city is the principal movement point at the start and end of the three days.

Why it matters for New Zealand MICE

A three-association national congress taking the NZICC for three days is a significant piece of professional-association business for Auckland's convention calendar. Consolidating three separate professional meetings into one combined congress - with a shared expo floor - is the kind of scaled, multi-stream event that purpose-built national convention infrastructure is designed to carry, and a marker of how New Zealand's health professions are using the NZICC to convene at scale.