The NZOIA National Training Symposium has run successfully since 2012 and usually attracts between 120 – 150 people.  It aims to encourage the continual professional development of our ‘on-the-ground’ leaders, instructors and guides and has a practical focus. The Symposium combines Refresher Workshops to meet instructor/guide revalidation requirements and a smorgasbord of interesting, stimulating and challenging Professional Development Workshops. It is a forum to network, upskill, train and revalidate NZOIA qualifications. People come from far and wide to attend the Symposium, including overseas.

The Symposium is usually held at a suitable date in September or October each year.  The Symposium is preceded by the Assessor Training Workshop and the Assessors Conference. The annual Excellence Awards take place on the Saturday night.

The 2025 Symposium will be hosted by Ara Institute of Canterbury at Blue Skies in Kaiapoi, Canterbury.

12 Williams St, KAIAPOI

Getting There

Drive/Carpool

12 Williams St, KAIAPOI

Fly
The closest airport to Blue Skies is Christchurch Airport - 20 mins away.

 

Included in the Symposium Registration fee are three nights accommodation, meals from Thursday dinner to morning tea Sunday, Refresher Workshops (usually $225 each), Professional Development Workshops and the Outdoor Excellence Awards dinner function on Saturday night.

* Earlybird Rate finishes on 30 June 2025. Payment must be received by 30 June to be eligible for the discounted rate.

Your registration fees do not cover the full cost of the event, NZOIA absorbs over 40% of the cost for the Symposium. With the thanks to host venues and funding, we try hard to keep the registration fee down so it is affordable for you to attend.

The accommodation is bunkroom style beds or camping, with shared bathroom facilities. (To help keep costs down we will not be employing cleaners - you will need to leave the place how you found it). The registration fee will be the same regardless of if you camp or choose to have a bed.

Refund Policy

Your registration fees do not cover the full cost of the event, NZOIA absorbs over 40% of the cost for the Symposium.

When a participant withdraws:

Before the event closing date (18 July 2025): NZOIA will deduct a $50 administration fee, the balance can then be refunded or transferred to another event.

After the closing date: The fee is NON-REFUNDABLE. It is transferable only for the same applicant under exceptional circumstances, less the applicable cancellation fee as outlined below. Medical certificates/other proof will be required within 2 weeks of notification.

Cancellation fees are charged to help recoup some of the costs resulting in the withdrawal (e.g. loss of income and administration processing). After the closing date, NZOIA is committed to a number of fixed overheads in running the Symposium (catering, accommodation, assessor fees etc.) which is why the fee becomes non-refundable. Fee transferals for the below circumstances, after the closing date, is a gesture of good will in your time of need, and usually results in a loss absorbed by NZOIA due to expenses being greater than income.

Exceptional circumstances: Transferable to the next two Symposiums only less applicable cancellation fee: 4 wks before Symposium $150, 0-4 wks before the Symposium $250. No shows/withdrawal during the Symposium - no refund.

• Bereavement of an immediate family member (spouse/partner, parent, child, sibling, in-law, grandparent or grandchild)
• Medical Emergency/accident requiring surgery or hospitalisation for the applicant or the applicant’s spouse/partner or child.
• Serious injury/medical event that prevents participation in the course (e.g. fracture, serious sprain, serious head injury/concussion).

Fees for missed meals / late arrivals / early departures will not be refunded.

If you have booked a shuttle and the shuttle is cancelled by us you will get a full refund of your shuttle fee. If you cancel it before the 18 July 2025 we will also refund you the shuttle fee. After the closing date there will be no refund.

The Symposium programme is extremely varied as we try to cater for a range of interests. Professional Development Workshops and Refresher Workshops will run concurrently at the Symposium. Refresher workshops are a full day (8am-5pm generally) and Professional Development Workshops vary from a couple of hours to a full day. If you are at a Refresher workshop you will not be able to attend a Professional Development workshop on the same day. Attendees will be sent a link to sign up to PD workshops in August. Once the programme is finalised, it will be published here. Check out last years programme below for an idea on the structure of the programme:

2024 Programme

Professional Development Workshops

This award is aimed at students who have a passion for outdoor instruction and show great potential for further involvement in the industry beyond their studies. 

Each outdoor tertiary programme provider (who has an MOU with NZOIA) will make their own judgment as to who their successful student is and submit to NZOIA who their successful student before 30 June 2025. Successful students will receive complimentary registration to the 2025 NZOIA National Training Symposium (one per Tertiary provider). Travel not included. 

Criteria and eligibility information will be sent to tutors directly in May.

The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Scholarship supports the idea that we need the people working and volunteering in the outdoor industry to reflect Aotearoa’s diverse population.

The Symposium is an invaluable opportunity for the outdoor instruction, guiding and leadership community to come together to collaborate and expand its collective knowledge and skills. We are committed to being inclusive and open to all members of our community regardless of age, gender, disability, cultural or religious background or sexual orientation, or other attributes that may lead to any person feeling excluded. In order to continue to be relevant, the Symposium needs representation from a broad selection of people who reflect our communities and we recognise that there are barriers that impede this, such as the costs involved.

Last year we were able to offer three Diversity, Equity & Inclusion scholarships that cover the full registration fee of the Symposium and 2025/26 complimentary Associate Membership if you are a new member wishing to join NZOIA.

These scholarships are supported by Sport New Zealand Ihi Aotearoa (Sport NZ), who like NZOIA, see the benefits of diverse representation at the Symposium and across the outdoor sector

Eligibility Criteria     

• Study, work or volunteer as an instructor or guide in the outdoor industry in NZ
• Require financial assistance to be able to attend
• Identify with at least one of the following diversity, equity & inclusion areas:
  • Under 25 years old
  • Identify as female or gender diverse
  • Identify as a member of rainbow or LGBTQIA+ community
  • Are Māori, Pasifika or Asian
  • Have a disability
  • Live and instruct in an area where participation is low in the outdoors due to financial hardship

To apply for the scholarship, email us a letter or video outlining your connection to the above criteria and why you would like to attend the Symposium.

Post the Symposium, recipients of the scholarship are required to email a letter or video to NZOIA outlining what they got out of the Symposium and how they will apply their learning in their work in the outdoors. If interested, recipients may also have the opportunity to be profiled by Sport NZ to share their symposium experience, and their work in making the outdoors a more inclusive space.

Applications must be emailed to symposium@nzoia.org.nz no later than 20 June 2025. Applicants will be informed by the 30 June 2025 of the outcome.

Do you want to host the next Symposium?!

We are looking for outdoor organisations that are keen to host future Symposiums in the North and South Islands.

Expression of interest

If your organisation is interested in hosting the Symposium, please put in an expression of interest to NZOIA. Please click on the link below and fill in the form and submit it to the NZOIA Symposium Coordinator – symposium@nzoia.org.nz 

If you have trouble opening or saving, please email us and we will send you a hard copy. Please contact Sonya Sutherland if you have any further questions: 027 5390509 or on the email above.

Thank you for your interest and support!

Benefits for hosting

Hosting the Symposium is a great opportunity to show case your centre to others in the industry. Two of your staff will be able to attend the Symposium free of charge, but will be required to assist in the running of the Symposium. We can also provide 50% off for up to 8 of your staff to attend. Hosting could be a good chance to recruit new staff! It’s also a great way to support the outdoor industry and professional development of those working in the sector.

Requirements

Venue

To host the Symposium, your venue needs to be within 1 ½ hours travel to at least six of the nine NZOIA disciplines:

Cave, Canoe, Canyon, Kayak (White Water), Sea Kayak, Alpine, Bush, Mountain Bike, and Rock.

The venue needs to be able to accommodate a minimum of 120 people, preferable onsite, with a combination of dormitory beds (ideally 70+ beds) and camping options, and ablutions available. Ideally, you have catering available for this number, or a commercial kitchen and dining area that can be used. The dining area/hall must be able to seat this number. NZOIA will pay for catering and accommodation, to cover costs incurred.

We also require access to two-three meeting rooms/spaces for training workshops, separate to the main dining area/hall that can fit 20 – 30 people. Ideally these would have access to WIFI, but if you have good cell phone coverage/service this won’t be an issue. Preferably, your organisation will have vehicles and outdoor equipment available for use.

Support

The host venue is also responsible for planning and running a welcome to officially open the Symposium.

A minimum of two staff/people from your organisation are required to be on hand throughout the Symposium, to assist the NZOIA staff with the smooth running of the event. One of these people will take on the Duty Manager role and be in charge of locking up, communications, the bar and updating the weather board. It is great if we have extras on hand to chip in if needed. Depending on your location, we will also require assistance with airport pickups and drop offs.

Click here to fill in the Host Venue - Expression of Interest Form 

(Note: Save to file before filling in!)