New Zealand Land And Groundwater Conference

Theme 1: Emerging Contaminants of Concern (Not PFAS!)

• Case studies 

• Industry perspective (regulator, consultant, private and research). Note: there is potential for selected abstracts to be nominated for a panel session.

• Examples may include: microplastics, EDC, 6PPD, PBDE, pharmaceuticals, hormones, etc.

 

Theme 2: Māori and Indigenous Perspectives in Contaminated Land and Groundwater Issues

• Case studies

• Engagement in site contamination assessments and remediation

• Relationships with soil and water, and connections with food security

• Sustainable land management and its impact on soil and groundwater health

• Engagement at policy, regulatory and operational levels

 

Theme 3: Risk Assessment and Communication

• Case studies 

• Risk characterisation

• New methodologies / approaches to risk assessment

• Risk communication (e.g. what do stakeholders want/need to hear, when, and how to deliver it?)

• Tier 2 risk assessment in the context of NZ guidance and regulation

 

Theme 4: Groundwater and Surface Water Interaction: Contaminant Consideration

• Case studies 

• Groundwater, surface water, pore water and sediment interactions

• Climate change implications

• Resilience planning

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Theme 5: Soil Management and Reuse

• Case studies

• Unique approaches for soil decontamination

• Soil reuse

 

Theme 6: Sustainability and Resilience in Assessment and Remediation

• Case studies demonstrating sustainable assessment, remediation and/or management

• Global approaches to sustainable contaminated site management

 

Theme 7: Environmental and Human Health Toxicology and Chemistry

• Human health risks of environmental contaminants

• Ecological risk assessment and management of contaminated sites

• Toxicology of contaminants in aquatic ecosystems (e.g. microplastic)

• Alternative testing methods in environmental toxicology: advances and applications

 

Theme 8: Quality Assurance and Quality Control

• Case studies

• Quality control in site contamination assessments and remediation

• Emerging technologies and trends

 

Theme 9: AI and Beyond: Revolutionising the Industry

• Case studies: successes, failures and lessons learned

• AI-driven site assessment and reporting tools, predictive modelling, blockchain for data integrity, AI-augmented geospatial analysis, etc

• Robotics in contaminated environments, innovative remediation technology design, IoT monitoring sensors and devices

• Ethical considerations of AI in the environmental sector 

 

Theme 10: Policy and Regulation

• Lessons learnt to improve policy and regulation

• Emerging technology (e.g. solar panels, lithium batteries) vs potential for future contamination from manufacture to disposal

• Opportunities in the RMA reform

 

Theme 11: Emerging Land and Groundwater Professionals

Emerging land and groundwater professionals, including undergraduate and PhD students, are invited to submit an abstract for a five-minute platform presentation on any topic relating to contaminated land. To be eligible for this stream, the candidate must have less than three years of industry experience. Undergraduate students, PhD students, career changers, and those transitioning from academia to industry are also encouraged to apply.

Abstracts will be selected with consideration to the following:

• Topic – interest, uniqueness, vision, and quality

• Geography – preference will be given to individuals based in New Zealand

• Representation – ALGA is proud to include representatives from the whole of industry, academia, not-for-profit organisations, independents, and government. Presentations will be selected from the spectrum of these groups

• A one-paragraph bio demonstrating your eligibility for inclusion in the stream is required.