Christchurch to Host Global Conference on How Development Affects People and the Environment

More than 900 delegates are expected in April 2027 for discussions on Indigenous knowledge, artificial intelligence, climate change and the consequences of decisions that shape communities.

By Webfit News | 14 October 2026

Christchurch’s experience of rebuilding after devastating earthquakes will provide the backdrop for an international conference examining how communities can better understand the consequences of development before decisions are made.

More than 900 delegates from around the world are expected to attend the International Association for Impact Assessment’s 46th annual conference in Ōtautahi Christchurch from 20 to 23 April 2027.

Known as IAIA27, the gathering will bring together planners, regulators, industry representatives, researchers, consultants, policymakers, students and members of Indigenous communities.

Abstract submissions and registration are now open, with researchers and practitioners invited to submit proposals for papers and posters by 2 November.

The questions behind development decisions

Impact assessment examines the potential consequences of a proposed or existing action.

For communities, those consequences can involve the environment, livelihoods, cultural connections, health and wellbeing. The process helps identify what could change, who could be affected and what decision-makers should consider.

The Christchurch conference will explore how that work needs to evolve as environmental and social challenges become more complex.

Its theme, “Ka Mua, Ka Muri: Looking Back for the Future of Impact Assessment”, places lessons from past experience alongside emerging approaches.

Conference co-chair Lachlan Wilkinson said the programme would encourage an exchange between experienced professionals and younger practitioners, allowing different generations to contribute to the field’s future.

The underlying issue is relevant well beyond the conference room: how can decisions about growth and change account for the people and places that will live with the results?

Christchurch’s recovery provides a local connection

For Christchurch, the subject has a direct connection to the city’s own experience.

The earthquakes and subsequent recovery required decisions about rebuilding, infrastructure, public spaces and the future shape of neighbourhoods. That history gives visiting delegates a setting in which to consider the relationship between recovery and longer-term change.

Conference co-chair Terry Calmeyer said Christchurch offered an example of reinvention, connecting its recovery with more resilient, nature-based and community-focused futures.

Technical and cultural visits will take participants beyond formal presentations to locations including harbours, beaches, ancestral lands and earthquake recovery areas.

Those visits are intended to connect discussions about assessment and planning with places where the effects of decisions can be explored directly.

Indigenous leadership and AI among the major themes

The programme will cover Indigenous leadership and knowledge, artificial intelligence and digital tools, climate action, biodiversity protection, human rights and community wellbeing.

It will also examine a just energy transition, including the social consequences of changes in how energy is produced and used.

Together, the topics reflect the breadth of impact assessment. Evaluating a proposal can require more than technical information about a site or project. It can also involve understanding cultural values, community concerns and how benefits and costs are distributed.

IAIA President Alberto Fonseca said decades of work had produced an important body of knowledge, but climate disruption, biodiversity loss, artificial intelligence and socioeconomic inequality required fresh thinking.

“Different perspectives are essential to shaping the roadmap ahead,” he said.

The inclusion of both Indigenous knowledge and emerging digital tools places established ways of understanding people and places alongside technologies that are changing professional practice.

Training before the main conference

Professional training courses will run on 18 and 19 April, ahead of the four-day conference.

International experts will lead courses across 15 specialised areas, with organisers emphasising practical learning.

The wider programme will include opportunities for participants to meet colleagues across sectors and countries.

A Newcomer Network event and welcome and poster reception are scheduled for 20 April. A documentary narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch will be screened on 21 April, followed by a closing banquet on 23 April.

The release does not identify the documentary’s title.

New Zealand and Pacific organisations involved

IAIA is organising the event in partnership with the New Zealand Association for Impact Assessment, the Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand, and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

ChristchurchNZ and Tourism New Zealand are also supporting the conference.

The partnerships bring New Zealand and Pacific organisations into an international discussion involving environmental, social and planning professionals.

Organisers are also offering sponsorship and exhibition opportunities for organisations working in areas including health, biodiversity, social sciences, public participation and climate change.

The forecast of more than 900 delegates is an organiser expectation, rather than a confirmed attendance total.

Submissions close in November

The next deadline is for paper and poster abstracts, which must be submitted by 2 November 2026.

Early-bird registration closes on 13 January 2027, with final registration closing on 31 March.

Key date	Activity
2 November 2026	Paper and poster abstract submissions close
13 January 2027	Early-bird registration ends
31 March 2027	Final registration closes
18–19 April 2027	Professional training courses
20–23 April 2027	IAIA27 conference in Christchurch

For Christchurch, the gathering will bring international attention to a subject that has shaped much of its recent history: how decisions made during periods of change affect communities for years afterwards.

The conference will give practitioners an opportunity to examine those lessons, share approaches and consider how future assessments can better inform the choices facing people and the environment.

Source: International Association for Impact Assessment, IAIA27 media release, October 2026.