ANZCA ASM Auckland 1-5 May 2026 : 226 days to go
ANZCA ASM 2026

Herenga waka, herenga tāngata: From home to home

Explore the design journey behind the 2026 ASM artwork, created in collaboration with Māori designer Chloē Reweti and cultural advisor Tui Blair. It delves into the theme, visual motifs, and cultural meaning woven into the design to reflect place, people, and connection.

The artist and the cultural advisor

We were lucky enough to work with designer, Chloē Reweti (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāti Porou), and cultural advisor, Tui Blair (Ngāti Whātua) to create a theme and design for the 2026 ASM that would reflect the location’s natural environment and rich cultural heritage.Chloē is a graphic designer with more than ten years of experience creating artwork and campaigns. She says, “I care about craft, collaboration and whakawhanaungatanga. Building and nurturing relationships is the lifeblood of the creative process.”We would like to thank Chloē and Tui for sharing their knowledge and creativity with us.

The theme

The 2026 ASM theme is, “Herenga waka, herenga tāngata: From home to home”. Chloē and Tui explain:

A herenga waka is a physical place where waka are anchored at a safe harbour or resting point. The herenga waka reflects a space of connection and safety for voyaging waka. The hospital is a welcoming space where individuals come and go as needed. Patients arrive seeking care and healing, families offer love and support, and healthcare professionals dedicate themselves to guiding others through their journeys. This ebb and flow reflects the dynamic nature of a herenga waka, symbolising the continuity of life and the interconnectedness of those who pass through its doors.

 

The design

The design brings together elements of the natural environment in Aotearoa and the cultural significance of it for Māori. Māori artforms use abstraction, simplified form, repetition and symbolism to convey complex ideas and stories. Elements are distilled to reflect the interconnectedness of life and the relationship between the land, waterways, and skies of Aotearoa.

The typography evokes the ebb and flow of water, with the colour palette drawing inspiration from underwater vegetation like seaweed and seagrass.

Chloē and Tui discuss the design journey from concept to roll out, and the cultural meaning woven into the design to reflect Māori people, place and connection.

The eight motifs

ANZCA acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which the New Zealand International Convention Centre is located, where the 2026 ANZCA ASM will be held. We also acknowledge the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and recognise their unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society, and pay our respects to ancestors and elders, past, present and emerging.

ANZCA recognises Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a foundational document that shapes the historical and cultural landscape of Aotearoa New Zealand and that informs our approach to medical education, research, and community engagement Tangata Whenua.



ANZCA acknowledges and respects Māori as the Tangata Whenua of Aotearoa and is committed to upholding the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi, fostering the college’s relationship with Māori, supporting Māori fellows and trainees, and striving to improve the health of Māori.



The college recognises the special relationship between the Pacific peoples of New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific, and is committed to supporting those fellows and trainees of ANZCA, and improving the health of Pacific peoples.