City hosts major international conference

Rotorua Mayor Steve Chadwick

Rotorua is this week hosting the five-day 6th Asia Pacific OccupationalTherapy Congress (APOTC), the first time the event has been held in a Pacific nation.

The leading international health conference has attracted some 700 occupational therapists and health professionals from around the world to the city. The congress was the result of a successful pitch made by Rotorua's convention bureau four years ago.

Destination Rotorua general manager, Oscar Nathan, said hosting APOTC was a huge achievement for Rotorua and the whole district.

"International conference delegates are shown to spend up to three times more than the average international visitor," said Mr Nathan.

"So hosting 700 internationaldelegates to this congress will have significant positive impacts on the Rotorua economy.

"Being the first time that APOTC has chosen to be hosted by a Pacific nation is a huge achievement in itself.

"With Rotorua winning this event way back in 2011, it's great to see the long-term project finally coming to fruition." Previous congresses were held in Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand.

Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick, who opened the congress on Monday, noted the conference theme - "Doing well together" - was remarkably similar to Rotorua Lakes Council's own motto of Tatau Tatau - we together.

"This is one of the largest international conferences ever staged in Rotorua," she said.

"The congress has attracted a large number of delegates and they will be getting out and about, which is great for our city. For me personally it's wonderful to see Rotorua hosting professionals from the highly respectedfields of treatment and rehabilitation - and particularly as they are here from as far afield as Canada, Malaysia and Japan.

"It seems very apt for this conference to be taking place in a city that's becoming increasingly well known as a spa, health and wellness destination - it's a great fit."

The congress also included a four-day scientific programme, one-day post congress workshops, and a trade exhibition and cultural activities.

Co-conveners of the congress included Peter Anderson, the executive director of OccupationalTherapy New Zealand, and Dr Kirk Reed, senior lecturer, Department of Occupational Science and Therapy, at the Auckland University of Technology.

Keynote speakers include Professor Mary Law, of the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University, Canada, and professor Samson Tse, of the University of Hong Kong.