Events
He Wātaka
If you’re interested in quantum technologies, check out the events being held around the country to celebrate the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.
Whether you want to encourage your child into physics and chemistry, teach your class more about the building blocks of life or share the developments your researchers are making, this is the place to find or promote what’s happening for all ages.
View all upcoming events
The Quantum Investments & Startups Future in New Zealand
The Quantum Futures NZ Workshop is a pioneering two-hours collaborative event designed to accelerate quantum technology investment and development in New Zealand. This strategic gathering will bring together key stakeholders from government, academia, investment communities, and industry to forge partnerships that position New Zealand as a significant player in the global quantum economy.
NZIP & PHYSIKOS Conference
Biennial conference bringing together academic, professional, and secondary teaching communities of physicists.
NZIP & PHYSIKOS 2025 combines the 20th conference of the New Zealand Institute of Physics with Physikos, the New Zealand Physics Teacher’s conference. A public evening lecture will be held as a part of the event.
Quantum Crossroads
Quantum Crossroads - at the intersection of arts, culture and quantum science and technology
Quantum Crossroads is a global event sponsored by the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. It will bring together experts and stake holders to discuss the intersection of quantum science and technology with arts, culture and creative technolgies. The event is lead by a global committee and hosted by Te Whai Ao - Dodd-Walls Centre and Tūhura, Otago Museum.
Stay tuned for more details!
The Quantum Investment and Startups Futures in New Zealand-Auckland
The Quantum Futures NZ Workshop is a pioneering two-hours collaborative event designed to accelerate quantum technology investment and development in New Zealand. This strategic gathering will bring together key stakeholders from government, academia, investment communities, and industry to forge partnerships that position New Zealand as a significant player in the global quantum economy.
ANZCOP (Australian and New Zealand Conference on Optics and Photonics)
Australian and New Zealand Conference on Optics and Photonics with a strong presence of quantum science.
1st IUPAP-UNESCO International Colloquia on “Physics for Society” With Nobel Laureate Prof. Anne L’Huillier
UNESCO and the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) are launching International Colloquia on “Physics for Society. The 2025 colloquia will focus on Quantum Science and Technology to be aligned with the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology(IYQ 2025). This also falls under the wider umbrella of the Science Decade (2024-2033). This series of colloquia aims to bring together leading scientists, policymakers, and industry experts from around the world to establish an engaging and interactive multidisciplinary and cross-regional collaboration platform for science popularisation for quantum science and technology. It seeks to explore the latest advancements in quantum science and technology, promote knowledge sharing and innovation, inspire collective wisdom across diverse fields, foster the integration of quantum science with other disciplines, and contribute to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The first session will kick off on 15 April 2025 from 12:00 am to 1:00 am (NZST) on Zoom. We are honoured to welcome Professor Anne L’Huillier, Nobel Laureate in Physics (2023), as the keynote speaker for this opening session. Prof. L’Huillier will share insights from her pioneering work on attosecond light pulses in quantum science, as well as reflections on her journey as a woman scientist at the forefront of physics.
Click here to register!
World Quantum Day
The World Quantum Day is celebrated on April 14, a reference to 4.14, the rounded first digits of Planck’s constant: 4.1356677×10−15 eV⋅s = 0.000 000 000 000 004 1356677 electron volt second, a product of energy and time that is the fundamental constant governing quantum physics.
Why is Planck’s constant so important? Did you know it is used to define the kilogram? And, otherwise, how does it affect our lives? These are some of the questions, among many others, that will be addressed by the World Quantum Day activities.
World quantum day is celebrated by quantum scientists around the World since 2022. Are you organising a special event or celebration at your company, school, community? Let us know and submit your event at quantum2025.nz!
Anderson Localisation for the Dunedin Arts Festival
Science, mystery…
Space, time and history…
Who are they?
Who are you?
The Anderson Localisation takes you on a journey into the quantum world where the past, present and future co-exist.
Using Pickpath, a cutting-edge interactive app, on your phone, you’ll be taken on a unique audio-driven, individual journey into the quantum world and through one of Ōtepoti’s hidden laneways. The Anderson Localisation reveals a hidden realm, and tells a story of how the tiny atomic world can shape our understanding of life.
Created by: Martyn Roberts, David O’Donnell, Hilary Halba, David Hutchinson, Doug Ditford and Amanda Faye Martin.
Participants should wear warm clothing and footwear, and bring an umbrella (just in case – this is Dunedin) as some of the experience takes place outside.
Pickpath can be loaded onto your phone via your app store.
Limited places to 10 per performance so book sooner rather than later.
April 5th and 6th 12pm, 2pm and 4pm daily.
Read about the event on theatreview.org.nz!
ASB Polyfest
What do LASIK, the beginning of the universe, and the world’s smallest tweezers have in common?
They are all connected by the fact that particles of light – called photons – can exert enough force to move matter. Through the study of this phenomenon, scientists have uncovered why comets have tails, developed lasers, detected the shockwaves left over from the Big Bang, and even manipulated single atoms at will – and that’s just the beginning.
Professor Alejandro Fainstein joins us from the Balseiro Institute of Argentina for a special visit to share the fascinating story of this force of light and the surprising applications it has inspired, including his work developing a type of laser that emits sound, instead of light!
Atomic Lego: Using lasers to build, one atom at a time.
Atoms lie at the foundation of everything around us, so what could we build if we could manipulate them like Lego®?
Come to Tūhura for a talk by Professor Mikkel Andersen of Te Whai Ao – Dodd-Walls Centre at the University of Otago where he will share the inspiration for his work in this area – from Ernest Rutherford’s earliest experiments into atomic structure to key quantum principles required for controlling individual atoms using lasers – as well as explore capabilities he and his team have developed at the University of Otago and the possibilities these developments hold for the future!
Multicore World XII
International conference on next-generation computing. It features two speakers on Quantum Computing - Russel Stutz (Scientists and Senior Director at Quantinuum (Honeywell) and Christopher Monroe (Professor at Duke University and co-founder of IonQ).
Nobel Prize laureate Moungi Bawendi: From curiosity to technological impact
Quantum dots, one of the first materials to inhabit the realm of nanoscience, have become ubiquitous in displays and other applications. My talk will discuss their origin story as well as their development and applications during a span of almost 4 decades. A story that reflects the importance of curiosity driven science to drive innovation and technological progress.
AMN11 11th Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology Conference
Biennial international scientific conference of the MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology. Topics cover a broad range of materials science and nanotechnology, including quantum computing and quantum technologies.
Public Talk and Panel: A century of Quantum mechanics - Wellington
https://www.macdiarmid.ac.nz/news-and-events/events/icam-week-of-science-2025/
General Public
Local organisers:William Holmes-Hewett (ICAM / MacDiarmid Institute)
Involved: Jessa Barder
ICAM Week of Science
The ICAM Week of Science 2025 will convene an exceptional group of scientists from across the globe to discuss the emergent frontier of matter and energy, from biological and soft to quantum matter. The meeting will also convene ICAM for its Annual General Meeting. The meeting is being planned as an in-person event in Wellington, New Zealand, with hybrid online participation TBA. Stay tuned for information on travel support and accommodation options as well as registration details.