UNA NZ CONFERENCE 2021

Ka nui te mihi ki a koutou katoa.

A warm welcome to the United Nations Association of New Zealand 2021 Conference.

UNA NZ is hosting its annual National Conference this August. This event is hosted at the New Zealand Parliament by Vanushi Walters MP.

The conference is our flagship event. It is a chance for our hundreds of members across the country to convene, for citizens to raise their voice, for the diplomatic community to engage with the broader society, and a place for fostering understanding of and engagement with the United Nations. 

This year's theme, adopted from the United Nations itself, is 'Building Back Better'. As we are well into our second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, this conference will explore how to build back from COVID-19 to create a better world that has less inequality, poverty, climate degradation and more cohesion, prosperity and sustainability - the core focuses of the United Nations.

Our 2021 conference is a momentous occasion as it marks UNA NZ's 75th anniversary, which will be celebrated with a cocktail evening on Friday 13th August (5.30pm-7pm). 

The full-day conference on Saturday 14th August (9.15am-4.15pm) will consist of a range of speakers, panellists, and an interactive workshop.

This conference will provide insights from academic experts, politicians, and notable practitioners from sectors such as engineering, employment rights, and international diplomacy.

We are excited to be having the Conference in person again: come and enjoy a weekend of great discussions, learning, networking and collaboration!

The ticket price includes attendance and catering for both days. 

A full programme will be announced soon. Highlights include:

• Keynote speech by the Honorable Nanaia Mahuta
• Memorial address given by Ambassador Dell Higgie
  • Dell Higgie is a career diplomat within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade. Her more recent roles were as a NZ Ambassador for Disarmament and a Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Conference on Disarmament in Geneva.
• Speech by Dr Mere Skerrett, Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education - Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka
• Interactive SDG focus workshop
• Panel including:
  • Chris Dunlop, Central Regional Manager Central - Beca
  • Dr Saunoamaali'i Karanina Sumeo, Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner - Human Rights Commission 
  • Megan McCoy, General Manager Global Health and Director-General Advisory - Ministry of Health
  • Professor Siah Hwee Ang, Professor of International Business and Strategy, Chair in Business in Asia at Victoria University of Wellington and Director of the Southeast Asia Centre of Asia-Pacific Excellence

COVID-19 Announcement: 

In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic UNANZ stands in right to postpone or cancel this event in case of any alert level changes.