The event is anticipated to deliver a NZ$1 million economic benefit when it is held at the University of Auckland from September 3 to 5.
Up to 100 speakers will take the stage at the event, before delegates undertake a tour of green infrastructure in New Zealand’s largest city.
“To have global leaders of this calibre knowledge-sharing and collaborating is a valuable opportunity for our region,” said head of Auckland Convention Bureau Ken Pereira.
“Green infrastructure work is front of mind in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and we’re eager to share our innovations and explore the scope of what else is possible in this space.”
The bid for the conference was won by the University of Auckland in collaboration with Design for Nature, a New Zealand not-for-profit which champions nature-based solutions. Both Auckland Convention Bureau and Tourism New Zealand Business Events supported the bid.
“Nature is a vital component of the sustainability and health of the city and should be considered as critical infrastructure,” said Zoë Avery, who is both associate director of design at the University of Auckland’s School of Architecture and Planning and co-founder and chair of Design for Nature.
“By incorporating green roofs, living facades, sustainable urban drainage and urban trees in our urban fabric we can help mitigate the effects of storm events, cool our cities, build more biodiversity and provide improved aesthetics for the health of people and nature in our cities.
“Aotearoa New Zealand has a lot to offer, with our Indigenous Māori wisdom, community-led initiatives and prioritisation of native plants and ecosystem support,” she said.
“There are a number of low-tech nature-based solutions we can share with the world – the use of natural substrate and fibre; bringing mussels into the harbour to filter sediment out of the ocean; and the co-governance partnership with Ngāti Whātua Orakei, who grew the plants for the Auckland Library living roof at their Pourewa Revegetation Nursery.”
