The Christchurch Town Hall remains the venue for RANZCO's NZ branch meeting. Credit: Michal Klajban

The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists’ (RANZCO’s) New Zealand Branch Annual Scientific Meeting will take place from 18 to 20 March 2021 at Christchurch’s Town Hall.

Convenor Dr Logan Robinson said it was great to resume planning after feeling slightly deflated about postponing the 2020 event. “The organising committee and Karen McLean had put in a lot of hard work, so (this means) much of the work we had done didn't go to waste. I'd also like to thank the organising committee from Nelson, who were scheduled to host the 2021 meeting, for agreeing to move their turn to host back a year.”

The four keynote speakers for Christchurch - Dr Daniel Martin, chair of the DRCR Retina Network in the US; Professor Stephanie Watson, clinical ophthalmology professor at Sydney University and head of eye innovation at Australia’s Save Sight Institute; Dr Roxanne Crosby-Nwaobi, head of research nursing at Moorfields Eye Hospital in the UK; and Professor Bill Morgan, managing director of the Lion’s Eye Institute and a consultant ophthalmologist at Perth Children’s Hospital - have indicated availability pending travel restrictions.

Dr Robinson said the 2021 organising committee were actively investigating a variety of meeting format options, including a hybrid option combining face-to-face and virtual presentations running simultaneously. “Rest assured we will have plan A, B, C and D in place, so the meeting can proceed regardless of travel restrictions!”

More details on the 2021 event and related events, such as the Registrar Training Day, will be made available when confirmed. Online registration is set to open in mid to late November.

https://ranzco.edu/events/new-zealand-branch-annual-scientific-meeting-3/