Kia ora, from Aotearoa New Zealand!

On behalf of the International Society for the Study of Self-injury, we invite you to prepare for our 2025 Annual Conference to be held in Wellington, New Zealand, on June 26th and 27th, 2025 (with a clinical preconference on the 25th). This landmark occasion is an opportunity to meet and learn from some of the world’s foremost authorities on self-injury and self-harm, and represents the first time the conference has been hosted outside of the Northern hemisphere.

The conference itself will be held at Te Wharewaka, located on the Wellington waterfront almost next door to the National Museum Te Papa Tongarewa. The conference will formally open with a mihi whakatau, where delegates will be welcomed by local Māori. 

The preconference location has yet to be finalised but will be conducted on one of the campuses of Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, located in the heart of Wellington close to hotels, restaurants and many of Wellington’s celebrated coffee houses. Presenters at the preconference will include internationally renowned NSSI experts.

What do you need to know?

Wellington is the capitol of Aotearoa New Zealand, located on the southern shores of the country’s North Island. This makes the conference the ideal excuse to see some of the most beautiful scenery and wildlife the country has to offer.

Travel to New Zealand

The official Government website can be found here, and includes information about entry requirements. Most people from outside the Pacific will require a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) or visa*. New Zealand has strict biosecurity laws – don’t bring any food off the plane!

Travel to Wellington

You can fly direct to Wellington from the Pacific, or into Auckland via long-haul. There are a variety of fantastic options for getting to Wellington from Auckland including by air (1 hour fly time), by train ("See the scenic wonders of Middle Earth, soar over towering viaducts, across the high plains of the volcanic plateau, and beneath three mighty volcanoes."), bus (around NZ$80, 11-hour trip), or rental car (about 8 hours). 

Places to stop on the way

Take some time to plan your trip and stop off along the way at Rotorua (a naturally volcanic region), Lake Taupo (a huge lake an hour from Rotorua), Napier (Napier is 'the art deco capital of NZ' because it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1931 and rebuilt in art deco style by the migrant builders who were brought into help), Martinborough (one of our premiere wine growing regions an hour and 20 minutes from Wellington), or Hobbiton (otherwise known as Matamata, where the shire from LOTR and The Hobbit exist). Alternatively (or as well!) there are several national parks on the way down. This is just a taste – there’s a lot to see.

Exchange rates and accommodation

At the time of writing (~mid-2024), NZD$1 converts to 0.62 US Dollars, 0.56 British Pounds, 0.57 Euros, or 0.84 Canadian Dollars.

For current exchange rates, see here.

There are lots of accommodation options, including hostels (a night in a shared hostel room ranges from NZ$37-66), hotels (from NZ$140 and up – the median price for a night on Booking.com is $267).

What to do in Wellington? 

Check out the Local Council's Things to See & Do in Wellington website for comprehensive information about Wellington.

Wellington hosts Te Papa, the National Museum. Other highlights include Zealandia, a predator-free wildlife sanctuary an hour walk from the centre of town (10 minute drive, 12 minute bus ride), Weta workshop (Peter Jackson's company, takes visitors and does tours), and Wellington Zoo (about $99 for a 'close encounter', groups can arrange overnight sleeps for about $220 per person, and they have kiwis in the nocturnal house). You can also take a ferry out to Matiu/Somes Island, another nature reserve almost in the middle of Wellington's Harbour.

Wellington prides itself as place where you can get some of the best coffee in the world, some of the best food in the world, and an awful lot of craft beer 🍻 Because of where we are in the world, you'll find a lot of Malaysian, Indonesian and Chinese restaurants. Favourite beer venues include Little Beer Quarter (or LBQ, a pub/restaurant with a rotating selection of local beers and one of the best burgers in town), Fork & Brewer (serving only their own brews, with 41 different taps, including  five or six wheat beers and fifteen lagers), and you can't come to Wellington without at least trying some Garage Project (they have a neat taproom, just on the opposite side of the road from the brewery).

🏉 Rugby! New Zealand is a relatively secular nation, but if there's a national religion it's rugby. If there's a game in town, I can make sure everyone knows about it and how to get tickets!

What else to see?

The North Island Ski season starts in June (to mid-October). In fact, if you drive to Wellington from Auckland or you go anywhere near Taupo you will almost certainly see the most popular mountain for skiing - Mt Ruapehu, which hosts our biggest skifields Whakapapa and Tūroa. 

If you come all this way, consider stepping over the strait to the South Island. There's more snow and skiing and one of the jewels in New Zealand's tourism crown, Queenstown, and also other New Zealand premiere wine regions, including Marlborough. 

Māori culture

To get a sense of Wellington, visit the local council website which includes maps and a visitor guide. One thing that's worth noting is that Wellington is compact and you can stride across the CBD in less than an hour. Parts of Wellington are quite hilly, and it is often windy (Wellington’s average windspeed is twice that of Chicago!) If you like walking, bring sensible shoes! 

*Please note, conference organisers cannot and will not provide advice for visa or NZeTA applications.