The next Acoustical Society of New Zealand biennial conference is locked and loaded... and is going to be in Tauranga Moana!

The theme is “… And now for something completely different!”, which admittedly isn’t a very typical theme for a conference. It has been chosen for two excellent reasons:

1) Tauranga – a beautiful harbour city in the Bay of Plenty – will be the first city outside of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to host our conference. It is 2.5hrs drive (or a quick 45min flight) from Auckland on the Aotearoa east coast. Famed for its white sand surf beaches at Mount Maunganui and Papamoa, and for ‘The Mount’ itself... an iconic volcanic standing tall above the waves (named Mauao in Te Reo Māori)

2) The world is a very serious place right now. Geopolitical tensions are high around the globe, and some once reliable government institutions appear to be fixated on fighting fire with petrol. Parody and irreverence have long been used as coping mechanisms for the masses, so our 2026 Conference is going to provide us with something to chuckle about by being just a little bit… silly

We will still have a delectable array of high-quality papers and presentations. Our keynotes (to be announced) will still be expertly selected for their knowledge on the current hot topics from at home and abroad. We will promote the same friendly, collegial atmosphere in which to meet, reacquaint and share a laugh with like-minded individuals. We will provide a splendid array of trade stands thanks to the unwavering support of our sponsors. All the key ASNZ conference ingredients will still be present, but in an entirely new city… and possibly involving silly hats.

Hope to welcome you to Tauranga in November 2026!

James Whitlock – conference chair