sape 2026

Please join us in Ōtautahi Christchurch for the 11th International Meeting of the Society of Avian Palaeontology and Evolution (SAPE)When: 19th - 23rd of October 2026Where: The Christchurch Town Hall in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand.

Conference
Registration Costs:

Your registration will include:
- Full catering (morning tea, lunch & afternoon tea) for the four days of presentations.
- Drinks and canapés for the icebreaker event and the evening poster session.
- Transport, access and tour of the Canterbury Museum collections.
- Three years SAPE membership.Early Bird Registration (until August 1st):
General $630 NZD ($374 USD, €319 EUR)
Student/Concession $430 NZD ($255 USD, €217 EUR)Regular Registration (until October 1st):
General $700 NZD ($416 USD, €354 EUR)
Student/Concession $500 ($297 USD, €253 EUR)Late Registration (beyond October 1st):
General $770 (457 USD, €389 EUR)
Student/Concession $570 ($339 USD, €288 EUR)Conference Dinner:
$150 NZD (89 USD, €76 EUR)
(Friday 23rd October)Currency conversions are approximate and as of February 2026Please note that to qualify for student/concession
price you must be prepared to provide proof of
current enrolment.

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Nau mai, haere mai.
Welcome to Ōtautahi Christchurch

Conference Schedule

We have four full days scheduled for regular conference sessions.In addition, we have museum collection visits and an icebreaker event on Monday, and a conference dinner scheduled for Friday.There will also be pre and post-conference field trip options offered.Monday 19 October 2026: Afternoon visit to Canterbury Museum; evening Icebreaker get-togetherTuesday 20 October 2026: Two sessions, morning and afternoonWednesday 21 October 2026: Two sessions, morning and afternoon (including poster session)Thursday 22 October 2026: Two sessions, morning and afternoon; evening auctionFriday 23 October 2026: Two sessions, morning and afternoon; conference dinner

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Conference Circulars

1st Circular

2nd Circular TBC

3rd Circular TBC

Nicknamed the "Garden City", Otautahi has 1,000+ hectares of urban green space

Submit an Abstract

Abstract Submission Instructions to Authors:Abstract submission is open, and will close on the 31st of August.Title
- Maximum of 150 characters
- The title of the paper should be in upper and lower case (sentence capitalisation), centred and not bold.
- Names of genus or species group taxa or equivalent must be in italics.Author names
- The presenting author should be listed first
- Authors should be separated by commas, except the last author who should be preceded by the word ‘and’
- Author names should be lower case (excepting first letters) and first names should be listed in full (not abbreviated)
- Email address and affiliation should be provided for the presenting author onlyAbstract body
- Abstracts should be 200-300 words in length
- Should be formatted in Times New Roman, 12 point font
- Should not include references or footnotes
- Should not include figures
- Should be written in English
- Should be left-aligned
- Should be structured to provide background, clearly state the aim/s of the study and include relevant information on specimens and taxa examined, the methods used, results of the study, and any implications or significance of the results.Abstracts should represent work on any aspect of avian evolution including:
- palaeontology and palaeobiology,
- functional morphology,
- avian ichnology
- phylogeny, and
- molecular systematics, etc.Presentations can be given in either oral or poster format.Poster sizes can be A1 portrait or landscape, or A0 portrait only, due to space availability.Research specimens mentioned in your abstract and included in your presentation should be deposited, or scheduled for deposition, in an appropriate, publicly accessible collection (we encourage all authors to ensure that their studies adhere to the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology’s ethics statement).

Submit an Abstract

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Native bird species such as tūī, pīwakawaka and kererū are easy to spot within minutes of the city centre.

Field Trips

Please register your interest in attending field trips using the button below.Places are limited and submitting an EOI does not guarantee you a place on a trip.You will be contacted by the field trip organisers to confirm your place and advise payment information.There will be two fieldtrips associated with the 11th SAPE meeting:Pre-conference: A day trip to the Waipara Valley in North Canterbury, ~1hr drive from Christchurch (Sunday 18th October).Post-conference: A multiday trip around the South Island to various fossil and bird watching sites (Sunday 25th - Wednesday 28th October).more detailed information on field trips will be available in the second circular.

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Accommodation

Christchurch offers a range of accommodation options to suit different budgets and preferences, including hotels, serviced apartments, budget hostels, and short-term rentals.The conference venue is centrally located, with many accommodation options within walking distance or a short drive.Public transport, taxis, and rideshare services are also readily available.We recommend Airbnb for short-term rentals, with a wide range of options in the city centre, especially for larger groups.If you need assistance identifying suitable accommodation, please contact us.

Airbnb

Booking.com

Organising Committee

Vanesa De Pietri – University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New ZealandPaul Scofield – Canterbury Museum, Christchurch, New ZealandSophie Kelly – University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New ZealandJacob Blokland – Flinders University, Adelaide, AustraliaPhoebe McInerney – Flinders University, Adelaide, AustraliaJenny Worthy – Adelaide, AustraliaTrevor Worthy – Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia

Contact

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to members of the organising committee or contact us via the conference email below. Thank you.