Aotearoa ASM 2026 programme overview

Here's the programme overview for Days 1 - 3 of the Aotearoa ASM 2026 Monday 15 - Wednesday 17 June.
Pre-ASM workshops will be held on Sunday 14 June, please see the workshop tab on the nav bar - all workshops listed there as a dropdown menu
To read full blurbs and bios for each session, please click on the blue session title (if not linked, more information to come)

Day 1 | Monday 15 June, 2026 | Waipapa Marae, central Auckland
Cultural competence, hauora Māori and cultural safety to support Māori health equity and outcomes

10.00amBuses depart from Grand Millennium Auckland to Waipapa Marae
10.30am
Pōwhiri
11.30am
Lunch
12.30pm














1.30pm
Gynaecology and equity

Māori and Pacific women’s pre-diagnostic experiences of uterine cancer across Tāmaki Makaurau (the three Auckland districts)
Dr Sarah Herbert, Tumuaki Māori & Head Of Equity, RNZCGP, Dr Julea Dalley, GP, Poutiri Wellness, Dr Georgina McPherson, Nurse Practitioner, Waitematā District

Research included:

  • Pre-diagnostic experiences with wāhine Māori & Pacific women with endometrial cancer
  • Hui with wāhine Māori
  • Talanoa with Pacific women
  • GP experiences of managing abnormal uterine bleeding / endometrial cancer
  • Survey of wāhine Māori, Pacific women and non-Māori / Pacific women knowledge and awareness of endometrial cancer (symptoms, risk factors)
Te Whare Tangata: clinical care and intergenerational support working together
Priscilla Te Hau, Founding Director, Te Ohomauri Innovations & Rīana Te Uira White-Haverkamp, Onekura(Traditional Birth Attendant), Ngā Kakano Ī Ruia Mai I Rangiātea Charitable Trust

2.15pmHe Raa ki Tua – Advancing cultural safety in maternity care
Chloe Taylor, Clinical Midwife Director, Te Whatu Ora - Counties Manukau

This workshop will introduce traditional practices within the childbirth setting and explore how we, as healthcare practitioners, can actively support whaanau to access, connect with and uphold their cultural practices within a Eurocentric health system. Grounded in the whakatauki “He raa ki tua” – A day beyond – this workshop looks toward a future where healthcare reflects Te Tiriti o Waitangi and supports whaanau Maaori to thrive through culturally safe, tikanga-informed practice. 

3.15pmAfternoon Tea
3.30pmHe Raa ki Tua – Advancing cultural safety in maternity care continues
4.30pm
Wrap up
4.45pmBuses depart from Waipapa Marae returning to Grand Millennium Auckland

Day 2 | Tuesday 16 June, 2026 | Grand Millennium Auckland

8.00 amArrival tea and coffee in our exhibition space
8.30 am
Opening of Day 2
9.00 amSession 1 | Keynote
Wayfinding Leadership
Professor Chellie Spiller, Waikato Management School
9.40amSession 2 | Plenary | Endometriosis - winds of change

Endometriosis in New Zealand: closing the gap between current practice and optimal care 
Dr Michael Wynn-Williams, Lead Migs Surgery, Auckland

Navigation guide – the new RANZCOG Living Evidence Guideline
Professor Cindy Farquhar, Dean of Research and Policy, RANZCOG

Diagnosis – Sounding the depths: Endometriosis ultrasound scanning 
Dr Guy Fisher, Specialist Gynaecologist

Calming the storm – hormone suppression in 2026 and beyond
Dr Amelia Ryan, Gynaecologist, Waitemata, Auckland

Charting new waters – beyond the horizon: Biomarkers, Sclerotherapy, AI
Dr Jess Dunning, Gynaecologist, Te Toka Tumai, Auckland

Q&A with all 5 speakers                                                                                                                                                                                                  
11.00amMorning tea
11.30amSession 3 | Concurrent

Fertility - can we make access more equitable

Unexplained infertility: investigations and management
Dr Lucy Prentice, Senior Lecturer, Fertility sub-specialist, University of Auckland

Donor conceived children in Aotearoa: what do they know?
Associate Professor Sonja Goedeke, Psychology and Neuroscience, Auckland University of Technology

Fairer fertility care funding: should New Zealand have a BMI threshold?
Dr Karyn Anderson, Research Fellow, University of Auckland

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis in New Zealand: have we got it right?
Dr Juliet Taylor, Consultant Clinical Geneticist, Te Whatu Ora

Q&A with all 4 speakers

Pelvic floor surgery in NZ: maintaining skills and moving forwards

The future of Urogynaecology in NZ
Dr Fiona Bach, O&G SMO, Christchurch Women's Hospital and Oxford Women's Health

Posterior vaginal repair - two techniques, one objective
Dr Xiamin Liang, Urogynaecologist, Te Toka Tumai and Dr Esther Tutty, O&G and Urogynaecology sub-speciality Trainee, Middlemore

Modified Manchester repair - back to the future
Dr Jackie Hawley, Gynaecologist, Wellington Hospital, Southern Cross Hospital

The art of closure: colpocleisis in contemporary practice
Dr Sanni Aschenberger, O&G Wellington Hospital, Gynaecologist, Southern Cross Hospital

12.50pmLunch (Poster Discussion - Group 1)
1.50 pmSession 4 | Concurrent

Above board: honest kōrero about caesarean birth

Caesarean birth on maternal request
Dr Nisha Khot, President, RANZCOG, Clinical Director O&G, Peninsula Health, Melbourne

Vaginal Birth After Caesarean guideline
Dr Meghan Hill, Senior Lecturer, University of Auckland

Scars that matter: caesarean birth, uterine injury, and the risk ahead
Dr Jordon Wimsett, Obstetrician, Te Toka Tumai, Auckland

Bridging both sides of the drapes: a collaborative approach to pain during caesarean birth
Dr Lisa Newby, Anaesthetist, Taranaki

Contested techniques in caesarean birth: what the evidence tells us
Dr Dionne Mills-Sillik, O&G and Obstetrics Clinical Lead, Middlemore Hospital

Q&A will all 5 speakers

Gynaecology Free Communications

Speakers to be gathered through call for abstract process


3.10 pmAfternoon Tea (Poster Discussion - Group 2)
3.40 pmSession 5 | Concurrent 

Charting the course - early pregnancy

Pre-pregnancy counselling guideline
Dr Meghan Hill, Senior Lecturer, University of Auckland

Recurrent miscarriage
Dr Lucy Prentice, Senior Lecturer, Fertility sub-specialist, University of Auckland

Update on scar ectopic pregnancies
Dr Sue Belgrave, O&G, North Shore Hospital and Auckland City Hospital

Abortion care
Dr Anna Hudspith, O&G and Abortion provider, Wellington and Dr Rachel Rapkin, Clinical Lead, Te Mahoe Unit, Wellington

Q&A with all 5 speakers


Gynaecology - pearls of wisdom

Tubo Ovarian Abscess management: new guideline from Te Whatu Ora - Counties Manukau based on TOAST (Tubo Ovarian Abscess Study)
Dr Anna-Marie Van de Merwe, O&G, Middlemore Hospital

Vulval conditions – beyond VIN/LS
Dr Harriet Kennedy, Dermatologist, Auckland City Hospital

Evaluating new technology for use in clinical practice
Dr Naomi Holbeach, Clinician, Clinical Educator and Research, Melbourne Medical School

Q&A with all 3 speakers

5.00 pmFinal housekeeping information
5.10 pm
Close of Day 2
6.00 pmBuses depart for ASM Dinner from Grand Millennium Auckland to Maritime Room
6.30 pm ASM Dinner at Maritime Room

Day 3 | Wednesday 17 June | Grand Millennium Auckland

8.00 amArrival tea and coffee in our exhibition space                                                                                                                          
8.30amSession 6 | Keynote 
The importance of evidence based guidelines in women's health
Professor Cindy Farquhar, Dean of Research and Policy, RANZCOG
9.15amSession 7 | Concurrent

Controlling the flood - update on gynaecological cancer care 

Abnormal uterine bleeding
Dr Sathana Ponnampalam, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Te Whatu Ora - Te Toka Tumai

Too young for endometrial cancer? Outcomes of women aged ≤ 45 with endometrial cancer in New Zealand  
Dr Silipa Naiqiso, Gynaecological Oncologist, Te Toka Tumai, Auckland

National Cervical Screening Programme in Aotearoa update
Dr Georgina McPherson, Nurse Practitioner, Waitematā District

A Radiologist's approach to adnexal masses
Dr Darshna Kasabia, Radiologist, Auckland City Hospital

Q&A will all 4 speakers

Obstetric Free Communications

Speakers to be gathered through call for abstract process

10.30amMorning Tea (Poster Discussion - Group 3)
11.00amSession 8 | Concurrent 

Managing the Menopause - what's in RANZCOG's new guideline

Hormonal management of vasomotor symptoms: key recommendations from the RANZCOG guideline
Dr Catriona Melville, Senior Staff Specialist, Clinical Lead Reproductive Health, Metro South Hospital & Health Service, Logan Hospital, Brisbane

Evidence summary: non hormonal interventions for vasomotor symptoms
Dr Magda Bofill, Research Fellow, University of Auckland

Long term outcomes of menopausal hormone therapy
Associate Professor Helen Roberts, Menopause Consultant, Greenlane Clinical Centre, Auckland Hospital

The management of genitourinary syndrome
Dr Dionne Mills-Sillik, O&G and Obstetrics Clinical Lead, Middlemore Hospital

Q&A will all 4 speakers

Navigating the ebbs and flows, highs and lows of diabetes during pregnancy

New National GDM Guideline - are we there yet? 
Dr Heena Lakhdhir, Obstetrician, Te Whatu Ora - Counties Manukau

Diabetes distress – how do we recognise it, how do we address it / refer
Dr Lisa Hoyle, Consultant Health Psychologist, Te Whatu Ora - Counties Manukau

GLP-1 Inhibitors and pregnancy
Dr Stephanie Cox, Obstetric Physician, Auckland City Hospital

Continuous glucose monitoring: the good, the bad, and the future
Dr Charlotte Oyston, O&G, Middlemore Hospital, Senior Lecturer, University of Auckland

Q&A with all 4 speakers

12.20pm
Lunch (Poster Discussion - Group 4)
1.20pmSession 9 | Plenary | Optimising the care of people with excess weight

Mana Mōmona: fat wāhine Māori and body sovereignty
Dr Ashlea Gillon Aramoana, Researcher, Educator, and Lecturer, Māori Studies, Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland

Talking about weight
Dr Kathleen Antony, Associate Professor, University of Auckland, SMO, Te Whatu Ora - Counties Manukau

Practical considerations for gynaecologic surgery in patients with excess weight
Dr Tom De Greve, Gynaecological Oncologist, Auckland City Hospital

Pregnancy after bariatric surgery and obesity medications
Dr Stephanie Cox, Obstetric Physician, Auckland City Hospital

Q&A will all 4 speakers

2.40pmAfternoon Tea
Your last opportunity to visit with our ASM exhibitors and vote for prizes                                                                    
3.10pmSession 10 | Plenary | Navigating what's new: use of AI and robotics in O&G

AI in O&G: where we're heading
Dr Debjyoti Karmakar, O&G, Pelvic Floor Surgeon, Melbourne

Robotics in gynaecology: a debate
Dr Naomi Holbeach, Clinician, Clinical Educator and Research, Melbourne Medical School
Dr Prathima Choudary, Advanced Laparoscopic Surgeon, Gynaecologist and Endometriosis Specialist, Auckland
Dr Praveen De Silva, Advanced Laparoscopic Surgeon, Gynaecologist, Clinical Lead Endometriosis and Laparoscopic Surgery, Te Whatu Ora - Waitematā
Dr Vanitha Sivalingam, Gynaecological Oncologist, Te Toka Tumai, Auckland
4.10pm
Announcement of Harvey Carey Award and Best Poster Prizes
4.15pm
Wrap up and poroporoaki
4.30pm Close of ASM