2026 Conference

XV ANZSEE Biennial Conference

Regenerative Futures, Imagining Alternatives, Transforming Systems

Wed 30 Sep – Sat 3 Oct 2026, Massey University National Academy of Screen Arts Cinema (Block 10)
Address: Pukeahu Park (Entrance D via Tory St or Buckle Street, Mt Cook, Wellington, 6021,
New Zealand – Aotearoa

Held in Partnership with the Wellbeing Economy Alliance of Aotearoa (WEAll-A)

Register/get your tickets here for special discounted rates and the pre-conference Masterclass registration

Great news! Early bird rates will continue until the conference to deliver further benefits to attendees.

Detailed program is here.

General Description and Keynotes

The ANZSEE 2026 conference will bring together people from government, education and research, practitioners, consultancies, and NGO and community sectors, helping solve problems at local-regional-global scales drawing from ecological economics and its trans-disciplinary perspectives.

With a natural focus on Oceania as a region but also on local issues and those that permeate the globe, the conference will help synthesise global “post-growth” and “planetary boundary” discourses with a specific focus on the unique social-ecological and political vulnerabilities including those of the Pacific. The gathering will center on the integration of Indigenous stewardship and decolonised economic frameworks to address climate adaptation, while prioritising island and maritime resilience over traditional growth-centric metrics.

We have a great line-up of keynote speakers:

  • Professor Bob Costanza, Professor of Ecological Economics, Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London; Founding President, International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE); Founding Editor-In-Chief Ecological Economics, Societal Addiction and Recovery: Creating a New Science of Collective Behavioural Traps and Transformative Recovery
  • Professor Anitra Nelson, President-Elect International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE), Honorary Principal Fellow, University of Melbourne, Welcome to XV ANZSEE Biennial Conference – Regenerative Futures and Across Oceans from ISEE’s President-Elect
  • Professor Erik Gomez-Baggethun, Professor in Environmental Governance at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Senior Associate at the University of Oxford, To Ecologise Economics or to Economise Ecology? The Conundrum of Nature Valuation
  • Professor Maria Bargh, Professor of Politics and Maori Studies at Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington, Hidden and Diverse Economies (TBC)
  • Professor Joshua Farley, L4E Ecological Economics Lead, Gund Institute for the Environment, University of  Vermont, Taking Complexity Theory Seriously and Non-market Food Systems
  • Dr Marjan Van Den Belt, Ecological Economist, Global Council Member Wellbeing Economy Alliance, Council Member Lincoln University  – Aotearoanomics: A Place-Based Economy So That Nature and People Thrive
  • Emeritus Professor Murray Patterson, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, Massey University, Honorary Keynote Address, ANZSEE 2026 Conference Dinner
  • Dr Mike Joy, The Morgan Foundation Senior Research Fellow in Freshwater Ecology and Environmental Science, School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand Freshwater Management

Themes

No. Theme Title Focus
1 Beyond Growth and Wellbeing Post-growth economies, alternative wellbeing measures, macroeconomic reform
2 Indigenous and First Nations Economies Decolonisation, treaty rights, traditional knowledge, land and water stewardship
3 Island and Ocean Resilience Blue economies, sea level rise, Pacific sovereignty, island biodiversity
4 Intergenerational Justice and Stewardship Just transitions, youth, equity, rights of future generations
5 Climate, Cities, and the Built Environment Energy, transport, housing, urban ecology, cost of living
6 Ecological Limits, Governance, and Policy Planetary boundaries, ecosystem services, institutions, environmental law
7 Transformative Knowledge — Education, Methods, and Technology Pedagogy, research methods, STI, arts, and transdisciplinarity
8 Other Issues in Ecological Economics Open theme for emerging, cross-cutting, and novel contributions

Fees

The organising committee has made a decision to continue the early bird rate to provide immediate further discounts to members and non-member attendees.

However, joining ANZSEE provides a saving in net rather than paying the non-member rate. To save be a part of the EE community – join ANZSEE.

New Zealand Dollars
Early-Bird Discount extended indefinitely
Member (ANZSEE or WEALL-A) Non-Member
Full Conference – Standard 620 740
Full Conference – Concession/Students 310 370
Day Rate – Standard 310 380
Day Rate – Concession/Students Day Rate 150 190
  • The Full Conference rates cover both days of the conference and all inclusive sessions plus morning and afternoon teas and lunch. The Day Conference rates cover a single respective day of the conference and morning and afternoon teas and lunch on that particular day.
  • The dinner, field trips, masterclass and film night require separate registration. 

Program

The following provides a general outline of the planned program of activities.

Access final detailed program here.

Wed 30 Sep

  • Day: Ecological Economics Masterclass (see below for details – separate rego)
  • Evening: Cost of Growth film night (separate rego)

Thu 1 Oct

  • Day: Conference welcome, keynotes and concurrent sessions
  • Lunch: Art Exhibition, Posters and Performance
  • Dinner: XV Anzsee Biennial Conference Dinner 2026 (separate rego)

Fri 2 Oct

  • Day: Keynotes and concurrent sessions, close
  • Lunch: ANZSEE AGM & Elections (all members and observers welcome)
  • Evening: TBA

Sat 3 Oct

  • Day: Field work/trips
  • Evening: TBA

Pre-conference Masterclass in Ecological Economics

‘GROUNDED ECONOMICS’ – An Ecological Economics Masterclass

  • Wellington · 30 September 2026 · Massey University Te Aro Campus
  • An ANZSEE pre-conference short course for postgraduates and professionals.
  • Spend a day learning ecological economics the way it should be taught — outdoors, in place, and in conversation with the people who shaped the field.
  • Walk and talk your way through the foundations of ecological economics, ecosystem valuation, degrowth and complexity theory, and applied policy — across Massey University’s Wellington campus and waterfront, opened with a Maori Marae acknowledgement and grounded throughout in Aotearoa’s landscape.
  • Numbers limited – Register here.

Conference Dinner

  • The conference dinner will be held on the evening of Thursday 1 October at the Southern Cross.
  • Our honorary address is planned to be provided by Emeritus Professor Murray Patterson for his significant contribution to Ecological Economics in Aotearoa-New Zealand. He was previously the Director the Centre for Ecological Economics at Massey University.
  • Registration for the dinner is required separately from the main conference. A registration link will be provided here soon.

Film Night

  • A film night is being planned showing ‘The Cost of Growth’ on the evening of Wednesday 30 October in the main conference room, the Cinema, at Massey University. Timing and registration to be provided soon.
  • The registration desk will be open prior to the screening if people would like to collect their lanyards for the following day.

Field Trips

We are in the process of finalising our field trip offering. Currently there are two options:

  1. Coastal Salt Water Field trip led by Dr Majan Van Den Belt and Dr. Nicole Miller and
  2. Freshwater Field trip led by Dr Boyd Blackwell (with planning input from Dr Mike Joy) at Zealandia EcoSanctuary – Urban Ecological Renewal – TBC.

More details to come including a link for registration.

Key Dates & Submission of Abstracts and Ideas

Ideas/abstracts Open 1 Oct 2025
Close Abstracts closed
Submission review Completed
Response from ANZSEE Completed
Registration Registration open 1 Jul 2026
Online rego closes Does not close

Abstract submission has now closed. Thank you to all those who have submitted their abstracts and ideas. You should have received acceptance of your abstract and please go ahead and register for the conference via the above link. All participants including speakers and keynotes need to register. Please do so at the link provided at the top of the page.

Register your interest for the Conference

If you would like to receive updates on the conference please register your interest here.

In case of An Emergency

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY DIAL 111 IN NEW ZEALAND.

If you feel an earthquake, ‘DROP, COVER, HOLD‘ during the shaking.
If you’re near the coast, remember ‘LONG OR STRONG, GET GONE‘ to higher ground for Tsunami.
In a terrorist attack, ‘ECAPE, HIDE, TELL (DIAL 111)‘
Omnia Paratus

For non-emergency dial 105.