Sustainable Partnership a Core Focus for WasteMINZ Conference
Event organisers often have specific criteria in mind when searching for the perfect venue to host their event. In this case, the venue needed to cater to a large national audience but also meet the sustainability aspirations of the organisation and its members - Te Pae Christchurch ticked alot of boxes for WasteMINZ.
In early June 2025, WasteMINZ held its annual conference at Te Pae Christchurch, attracting 565 attendees and over 40 exhibitors.
WasteMINZ is New Zealand’s leading professional body for waste management, resource recovery, and contaminated land management. It has a nationwide membership of over 1,500 members – ranging from small operators and not-for-profits to local and central government and large businesses.
Meeting key requirements
WasteMINZ Chief Executive Nic Quilty says the industry body had several key requirements when looking to return to Te Waipounamu (the South Island) for the first time since 2018.
“In an ideal world, we would have a fit-for-purpose venue that’s easy to access, with reasonable flights and accommodation within walking distance. Te Pae Christchurch was the best option for us because all those pieces stacked up,” says Nic.
“And Te Pae is a beautiful venue – so stunning. It’s probably the nicest venue we've ever held a conference in.”
The conference utilised a full range of the venue’s facilities, including:
- The Exhibition Halls for the industry expo,
- The Rivers Room for the welcome, plenary sessions, and keynote speakers,
- And the Dobson and Bealey rooms for breakout sessions and workshops.
A gala dinner and awards for excellence were also hosted in the Rivers Room.
“Everyone loved the venue,” says WasteMINZ Membership and Events Manager, Nadja Hirzel.
“They loved the layout and the feel of it, and said that it was a really smooth operation.”
“The operations team – from catering to guest services – were amazing. They were super friendly and responsive; it felt like nothing was too difficult.”
Nadja says that positive approach was also reflected in the response WasteMINZ received from the city’s hospitality and accommodation providers.
"I get the feeling that it's really important to the people there that visitors feel welcome in the city."
Sustainability commitment
WasteMINZ places strong emphasis on demonstrating its commitment to reducing waste at events.
Charlotte Whiter, Sector Projects Manager at WasteMINZ, says the team approached Te Pae Christchurch with a ‘wish list for the perfect event’ from a sustainability point of view.
“From that perspective, they already had many systems in place – from waste diversion to sustainability reporting,” says Charlotte.
WasteMINZ partnered with Te Pae Christchurch – a Net Carbon Zero certified venue – on a range of initiatives. These included:
- Separation of waste during event pack-in, operation, and pack-out,
- Collection of recyclable materials,
- Repurposing food waste via Te Pae’s food dehydrator, which produces compost donated to community gardens.
Te Pae Christchurch also collaborated with local organisation Kairos Food Rescue to collect, package, and store any reusable surplus food. Kairos supplies rescued food to local food banks and distributes it through its free store.
Popular choice
Nic says that despite the current economic climate, attendance at the conference exceeded expectations.
“With the current cost of living, we didn’t know if people would travel,” says Nic.
“But we were very, very pleasantly surprised when the registrations kept coming in.”
The chance to visit Christchurch and the appeal of Te Pae were significant drawcards.
“In terms of location, it was great for us and our members. People who attended loved the venue,” says Nic.
“We do need to get to the South Island every few years, and Te Pae would definitely be the place we’d return to.”
Industry support
Owned on behalf of ratepayers by Christchurch City Holdings Limited, EcoCentral manages the city’s resource recovery, waste disposal, and recycling, and works to minimise waste across the Canterbury region.
Brandon Craine, EcoCentral’s Commercial Manager, says the WasteMINZ event is not only a key networking opportunity, but also a platform for innovation.
“As well as providing both formal and informal opportunities to discuss important issues, the WasteMINZ conference showcases innovative advances that can benefit the entire sector,” says Brandon.
“While it had been some time since the conference was held in the South Island, having such a great facility in Te Pae Christchurch enabled it to return.
This gives a number of organisations the chance to attend and showcase their services to a broader audience – something that’s harder to achieve when the event is held in the North Island due to cost.”
