The New Zealand government’s ambitious plan to rid
the country of invasive predators by 2050 helped its capital city win a major conference
on pest control.
Auckland is expected to attract around 2,500 pest control experts when the Federation of Asia Oceania Pest
Management Associations visits the city in 2026.
It will be the first time the federation has held its Pest Summit
Conference in New Zealand - and it said the country’s Predator Free 2050 scheme
helped swing the vote.
New Zealand wants to wipe out rats, stoats, weasels, and
other imported predatory mammals that are ravaging the country’s natural wildlife, within the next 30 years.
The summit, the largest of its kind in the region, will see pest control specialists, academics, and industry suppliers convene at the New
Zealand International Convention Centre (NZICC).
The event is being hosted by the Pest
Management Association of New Zealand (PMANZ).
Executive council member Gerwyn
Jones said: “New Zealand is seen as one of the leaders of innovation in the
pest control space. Hosting FAOPMA is a great way to showcase our country and its technological
advancements in pest control to the rest of the world. Being recognised on the global stage will be massive for PMANZ and the pest
control industry in New Zealand. We will have 300 delegates from around the
country coming to the conference, learning, collaborating, and building
potential research or business partnerships with international leaders in this
field.”
Tourism New Zealand’s Business Events team and Auckland
Convention Bureau (ACB) helped PMANZ win the bid for New Zealand.
TNZ general manager business events Bjoern
Spreitzer said: “Hosting this conference will open doors for future investment and research
that can help make New Zealand predator-free and protect our ecosystems for
future generations.”
Written By
James Lancaster
AMI editor James
Lancaster is a familiar face in the meetings industry and international
association community. Since joining AMI in 2010, he has gained a reputation
for asking difficult questions and getting lost in convention centres. Proofer, podcaster, and panellist - in his spare time, James likes to walk,
read, listen to music, and drink beer.
