Experience impact assessment in action through visits to real-world projects and places across Ōtautahi Christchurch and the surrounding region.
From urban regeneration and coastal adaptation to Indigenous stewardship and water management, explore the region with people who know it best.
This visit considers impacts and adaptations to climate change. The first stop is Amberley Beach, an hour north of Ōtautahi Christchurch, to consider the planned retreat of the village to safer ground due to sea level rise and associated hazards from storm events and coastal erosion. The tour will discuss coastal planning and long-term impacts of climate change on land-use in the Waipara area. Lunch will be at a local winery, where we will discuss land-use change with irrigation from an on-farm water storage scheme, development of the wine area, the cycle trail and visitor sector.
Sunday, 18 April 2027
Depart 08:30 | Return 16:00
Level of physical activity: Low
Minimum-Maximum: 20-50
Price: US$117 (Price includes transportation, morning tea, wine tastings, lunch, and 15% GST.)
Special notes: Must be 18 years or older. Wear walking shoes, rain jacket, and sunscreen. Bring water bottle.
In February 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake caused severe damage in Ōtautahi Christchurch and Ōhinehou Lyttleton. Many buildings were damaged and there was also substantial damage to infrastructure with two thirds of the buildings in the central business district subsequently demolished. The tour will start at Quake City, followed by a walking tour through the city center to explore the initial impacts of the earthquake, the immediate response, the process of reimagining the city center, community decision making, and the subsequent redevelopment. The objectives included improved walkability, attractions for all ages, a focus on the river, and highlighting of Indigenous and amenity values.
Sunday, 18 April 2027
Depart 08:45 | Return 12:45
Level of physical activity: Low (walking around city)
Minimum-Maximum: 10-15
Price: US$131 (Price includes admission fee, guided tour, morning tea, and 15% GST.)
Special notes: Wear walking shoes, jacket, and hat. Bring sunscreen, umbrella/rain gear, and water bottle.
Lyttelton Port (LPC) is the largest port on Te Waipounamu the South Island, located in the beautiful Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour. The visit will begin at a lookout with a panoramic view of the harbor before boarding a ferry for a waterside tour of the port. Participants will learn about LPC’s Environment & Sustainability Strategy and approach to assessing major development projects, including engagement with Māori and local communities. This will be followed by a tour of the harbor and a late lunch at a Lyttelton restaurant, showcasing local kai (food) and seasonal New Zealand produce.
Sunday, 18 April 2027
Depart 09:00 | Return 16:30
Level of physical activity: Low
Minimum-Maximum: 25-33
Price: US$154 (Price includes transportation, ferry tour, morning tea, lunch, and 15% GST)
Special notes: Wear wind-proof jacket and warm clothes for on-water ferry. Bring sunscreen and water bottle.
A gentle bike ride (approximately 8km return trip) along the City to Sea pathway, the tour follows the Ōtākaro Avon River Corridor from Te Pae through the ‘Red Zone’, where around 7000 residential properties were compulsorily acquired by the government following the Canterbury earthquakes due to extensive land damage and increased natural hazard risk. Participants will explore a significant post-disaster recovery and regeneration program, examining how lessons from the earthquakes continue to influence planning, community decision-making, ecological restoration and climate resilience. The tour follows landscapes permanently affected by liquefaction, flooding and ground deformation and now being reimagined for future generations.
Sunday, 18 April 2027
Depart 12:00 | Return 16:30
Level of physical activity: Moderate; option of bike or ebike
Minimum-Maximum: 15-28
Price: US$55 (Price includes bike hire, afternoon tea, and 15% GST)
Special notes: Must be competent on a bike. Wear comfortable shoes, layered clothing, and rain jacket. Bring sunscreen, water bottle, and snacks if required (or cash/card for snack purchase).
Join Antarctica New Zealand, the Antarctic Heritage Trust and the International Antarctic Centre for a unique exploration of Antarctica as a globally-significant natural laboratory for environmental change. Presentations at Antarctica New Zealand will introduce New Zealand’s Antarctic program and explore Antarctic science, long-term environmental monitoring, climate change, environmental stewardship, and the role of evidence in management and policy. The Antarctic Heritage Trust will share its work conserving Antarctica’s historic sites and stories. Participants will then take a guided tour of the International Antarctic Centre and its interactive exhibits*. The visit connects impact assessment practice with environmental change in Antarctica.
Monday, 19 April 2027
Depart 08:00 | Return 15:30
Level of physical activity: Low
Minimum-Maximum: 20-37
Price: US$127 (Price includes transportation, admission fee, lunch, and 15% GST.)
Special notes: Bring water bottle. *The Hägglund ride is not permitted for pregnant women or individuals with heart, neck, or back conditions.
Cross the Canterbury Plains to the Rakaia River intake of Central Plains Water Irrigation stopping for a presentation on the project. Consider planning for the scheme enabling intensified farming over 45,000 ha, shifting water sources from depleted aquifers to run-of-river supplies. At the scenic intake, view the intake weir and fish screens. See villages and small towns affected, a managed aquifer recharge point and learn about impacts of intensified dairy farming. These include water allocation, system design, social-economic impacts and impacts on ground and surface water, water quality, ecology, recreational fisheries and traditional food gathering.
Monday, 19 April 2027
Depart 08:15 | Return 17:00
Level of physical activity: Low (walking)
Minimum-Maximum: 20-47
Price: US$90 (Price includes transportation, morning tea, box lunch, and 15% GST.)
Special notes: Wear walking shoes, warm clothing, and rain jacket. Bring sunscreen, water bottle, and cash/card for afternoon refreshments at a local cafe.
Visit Akaroa, a small, harborside French settlement, for a guided tour of a municipal wastewater treatment system with land-based treatment and sub-surface wetlands co-designed by the local council and iwi (local indigenous Māori) to improve harbor water quality. This will be followed by an afternoon cruise on the harbor, home to one of the world’s smallest and rarest dolphins—Hector’s Dolphin. Learn about the establishment and operation of the Akaroa Marine Reserve, and efforts to protect the area’s diverse sealife including penguins, seals and sea birds.
Sunday, 18 April 2027
Depart 08:30 | Return 17:30
Level of physical activity: Low (walking; some hills)
Minimum-Maximum: 20-37
Price: US$155 (Price includes transportation, cruise, box lunch, and 15% GST)
Special notes: Sun protection and rain gear advised. If you are prone to motion sickness, take appropriate preventative measures. Offensive odors could be encountered, but these will be temporary and not harmful to health as you will be in a well-ventilated, open area.
Travel by bus to coastal New Brighton exploring the “Red Zone,” where the Government compulsorily acquired around 7000 residential properties following the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes due to extensive land damage and increased natural hazard risks. We will examine a significant post-disaster recovery and regeneration program, exploring how lessons from the earthquakes continue to influence planning, decision-making and climate resilience. Participants will visit key locations and learn how recovery has evolved into a long-term regeneration program centered on the river. Speakers will discuss integrating flood management, ecological restoration, active transport, recreation, climate adaptation and community aspirations to transform former residential neighborhoods.
Monday, 19 April 2027
Depart 08:45 | Return 15:00
Level of physical activity: Low
Minimum-Maximum: 20-35
Price: US$83 (Price includes transportation, morning tea, lunch, and 15% GST)
Special notes: Wear comfortable layered clothing, rain jacket, sunscreen, and walking shoes. Bring water bottle.
Join this day trip to Kaitorete to learn about a unique partnership between Māori and the New Zealand Government. At the heart of Tāwhaki is a kaupapa
(purpose) to advance Aotearoa’s aerospace industry and rejuvenate the whenua (land) to create a model for sustainable innovation and intergenerational opportunity. You will visit Te Waiotemapua, and hear about work to restore this important kāinga nohoanga (settlement site) and mahinga kai (food-gathering place). You will then visit the Tāwhaki National Aerospace Centre and hear from Indigenous knowledge holders about how aerospace is providing opportunities to exercise decision making authority and long-term stewardship of ancestral lands.
Monday, 19 April 2027
Depart 09:00 | Return 17:00
Level of physical activity: Moderate to high
Minimum-Maximum: 25-37
Price: US$101 (Price includes transportation, box lunch, and 15% GST)
Special notes: Wear good walking shoes, warm layered clothing, wind- and rain-proof jacket, hat, and sunscreen. Bring water bottle and snacks if required.
This walking tour follows the Ōtākaro Avon River through central Ōtautahi Christchurch, examining how cultural values, urban water management and post-earthquake regeneration have shaped the city’s evolving relationship with its waterways. Participants will visit a series of locations along the river corridor and hear from practitioners involved in design, ecology, cultural initiatives and infrastructure delivery before finishing at the historic Antigua Boatsheds. The tour explores the history of the river, its cultural significance, the legacy of urbanization and drainage, and contemporary approaches to river restoration, flood resilience, active transport, water-sensitive urban design, and public realm regeneration.
Monday, 19 April 2027
Depart 13:00 | Return 16:00
Level of physical activity: Low (walking tour)
Minimum-Maximum: 15-30
Price: US$17 (Price includes guided tour and 15% GST)
Special notes: Wear comfortable layered clothing, rain jacket, sunscreen, and walking shoes. Bring water bottle. Following the tour, you way wish to bring cash/card for dinner or drinks at Riverside Market’s wide range of vendors.
Travel to the Waimakariri River gorge, where the river emerges from the mountains and becomes a braided river to the sea. Take a thrilling ride through the Gorge. Learn about multiple values and uses of the river and the history of the area. At Jet Boat World learn about the jet boat as an iconic local invention, have a lunch of gourmet burgers and hear about high country farming in the area. See merino (fine wool) lambs and explore a gentle native forest walk, visiting some remaining, magnificent podocarp trees that used to cover the foothills. Purchase local products such as manuka honey and lanoline oils.
Saturday, 24 April 2027
Depart 09:00 | Return 17:00
Level of physical activity: Low
Minimum-Maximum: 25-37
Price: US$205 (Price includes transportation, jetboat ride, tour fee, lunch, and 15% GST.)
Special notes: Pregnant women are advised not to partake in jetboating. People with medical concerns should mention them at time of booking. Bring water bottle, jacket, hat, gloves, and sunglasses, and wear warm layered clothing.
Please register early! Technical visits will be cancelled if they do not reach the minimum number of paid participants by 1 March 2027.
Register early! Technical visits require a minimum number of participants to proceed. Register by 1 March to help ensure your preferred visit goes ahead.
Technical visits that do not meet minimum enrollment by 1 March may be canceled. If your visit is canceled, IAIA will contact you with options to transfer to another visit or receive a refund.
Registration after 1 March is subject to availability and payment. Registration closes 31 March, and technical visit changes cannot be made after that date.
If you must cancel, submit written notice to IAIA HQ (info@iaia.org) by 31 March 2027. Your technical visit registration fee will be refunded, minus a 25% administration fee (not to exceed US$125). After 31 March, no refunds will be issued for cancellations or no-shows.
Who can register? IAIA27 delegates and their guests can register for technical visits at the same rate. Guest tickets must be purchased under the main delegate’s registration.
How do I secure my spot? You must be pre-registered and pre-paid by 31 March 2027. Registrations are processed in the order payment is received.
Can I add a technical visit later? Yes! If you have already registered for the conference but want to add a technical visit for you or a guest, just log back into your account and select it (or contact info@iaia.org with your request). Any additions must be made by 31 March.
How many people on each visit? Minimum/maximum numbers are noted in each description. If the visit you choose does not reach the minimum number by 1 March, IAIA HQ will notify you and provide refund information or offer to transfer you to another visit.
Where do we meet? Technical visits depart from the conference venue. Plan to check in for the visit a minimum of 15 minutes prior to noted departure time. Busses will leave on time. Late arrivals will not be admitted.
What if I need to cancel? If you must cancel, the fee will be refunded, less an administrative fee of 25% of the technical visit cost, provided we receive written cancellation notice by 31 March. No refunds will be given after that date.
IAIA, the organizing committee, and the venue will not be responsible for medical expenses, accidents, losses or other unexpected damage to property belonging to conference participants, either during or as a result of the conference and during all tours and events. Participants are strongly advised to arrange their own insurance for health and accident, lost luggage and trip cancellation.
Participants will be required to sign the following liability release waiver upon check-in for the visits.
I hereby WAIVE AND RELEASE the International Association for Impact Assessment from liability pertaining to my participation in IAIA27 Technical Visits. I understand and agree that I am releasing not only IAIA, but also IAIA’s officers, agents, employees, and any third-party providers, site hosts, contractors, or partners involved in the IAIA27 Technical Visits.
I understand and agree that by signing this Waiver/Release, I am assuming full responsibility for any and all risk of death or personal injury or property damage suffered by me while participating in the IAIA27 Technical Visit. I understand and agree that this Waiver/Release will have the effect of releasing, discharging, waiving and forever relinquishing any and all actions or causes of action that I may have or have had, whether past, present or future, whether known or unknown, and whether anticipated or unanticipated by me, arising out of my participation in the IAIA27 Technical Visit, including those arising from the ordinary negligence of IAIA, its officers, agents, or employees, to the fullest extent permitted by law.
I understand and agree that this Waiver/Release applies to personal injury, property damage, or wrongful death which I may suffer, even if caused by the acts or omissions of others. I understand and agree that this Waiver/Release will be binding on me, my spouse, my heirs, my personal representatives, my assignees, my children and any guardian for said children.
I acknowledge that I am responsible for determining my physical and medical fitness to participate in the IAIA27 Technical Visit. I agree to indemnify and hold harmless IAIA, its officers, agents, employees, and any third-party providers, site hosts, contractors, or partners involved in the IAIA27 Technical Visits from any and all claims, liabilities, damages, or expenses arising from or related to my participation.
Add a technical visit to your IAIA27 experience. Register and pay by 31 March 2027.