Ka Rū Ka Hā is not a traditional conference.

This wānanga is being shaped around connection, exchange, challenge, and collective action. It is a space for people from across Aotearoa to come together to share ideas, challenge practice, and help create meaningful conversations that carry beyond the event.

We are looking for people with something real to share, especially voices grounded in Aotearoa, indigenous knowledge systems, lived experience, practice, advocacy, and action.

We are now inviting expressions of interest from people who would like to contribute to the Firth NZILA Wānanga 2026 in Ōtautahi Christchurch this November.

We are not looking for academic abstracts or polished white papers.

We are looking for ideas, experiences, provocations, conversations, workshops, and stories that genuinely speak to the kaupapa of Ka Rū Ka Hā.

Whether you are a landscape architect, designer, practitioner, researcher, community leader, collaborator, kaiwhakaaro, or someone working alongside the profession, we would love to hear from you.

You are welcome to put yourself forward, or suggest someone else whose voice should be part of this kaupapa.

What we’re interested in

We are particularly interested in contributions that connect with:

• Indigenous knowledge and ways of working
• Leadership and action
• Advocacy and influence
• Looking outward and beyond the profession
• Collaboration across systems and disciplines
• Practice grounded in Aotearoa
• Regeneration, resilience, and future-focused thinking
• Honest reflections, lessons learned, and lived experience

We are also especially interested in formats that encourage participation and exchange, rather than one-way presentations.

This could include:

• Workshops
• Guided discussions
• Interactive sessions
• Panels
• Collaborative exercises
• Case-based conversations
• Rotating “case clinic” style sessions
• Storytelling or conversational formats

Session formats

You do not need to arrive with a fully formed session proposal.

To submit your expression of interest, we simply want to know:

• your idea
• why it matters
• how it connects to this kaupapa
• and how you think people might best engage with it

Possible session lengths may include:

• Short provocations or lightning talks
• Standard presentations
• Panels
• Workshops
• Longer facilitated sessions

If selected, the programme team may work with contributors to help shape sessions and formats.

Important information

Submitting an expression of interest does not guarantee inclusion in the programme.

Our aim is to curate a balanced and engaging wānanga programme that reflects the kaupapa, the profession, and the wider communities we work alongside.

We’ll be reviewing expressions of interest as they come in, rather than waiting until the closing date. If this kaupapa speaks to you, we encourage you to get in early.

As the programme develops, some session areas may fill before the official close date.

We’ll also be having conversations with invited contributors and exploring additional voices and formats alongside the open call process as we shape the overall wānanga experience.

Dates

Expressions of interest close: 5pm Friday 5 June 2026

Firth NZILA Wānanga 2026: 5–6 November 2026, Ōtautahi Christchurch

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