'Being here has made me fall in love again with emergency medicine'
‘He aha ta mea nui o te ao? What is the most important thing in this world?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. It is people, it is people, it is people.’
This was the enduring message for around 100 delegates who made the journey from around Aotearoa, Australia, Canada, and the United States to attend the Aotearoa New Zealand Emergency Medicine Conference 2025.
“‘Let it be a ripple effect that reaches every corner of Aotearoa.’”
Held from 12-14 March in Tairāwhiti Gisborne, the event was a true celebration of the people. The conference co-convenors - FACEM Dr Matthew Marion (head of the ED at Gisborne Hospital since 2022) and SIMG Dr Jason Prystowsky, who is on a pathway to gain his ACEM Fellowship (deputy head of the ED at Gisborne Hospital) - gathered a community of exceptional emergency physicians and honoured the people they serve with a thoughtfully curated programme of events.
Connection, caring and compassion
Conference co-convenors FACEM Dr Matthew Marion and SIMG Dr Jason Prystowsky.
‘These are topics that matter to us as emergency physicians,’ Dr Marion said. ‘Forward-thinking issues, like AI in our specialty, climate change and sustainability, and the future of prehospital care. It's also things that affect us every day, like optimising paediatric care in our departments, and looking after ourselves and our colleagues.’
Taking place in an area buffeted by the devastating Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023 and East Coast flooding in June 2024, the conference theme was, fittingly, Manawaroa, or resilience, endurance, fortitude and grit.
‘We're the most geographically isolated city in New Zealand, Dr Prystowsky said. ‘Equity is not an academic phrase that we talk about over tea. This is at its core what we do every day when we go to work.’
The pair hoped the conference would inspire FACEMs to bring their passion, share their talents to the regional areas of Aotearoa, and inspire the next generation of physicians.
“‘Equity is not an academic phrase that we talk about over tea. This is at its core what we do every day when we go to work.’”
‘Let it be a ripple effect that reaches every corner of Aotearoa,’ Dr Marion said. ‘Thank you for being here. Thank you for your dedication and for continuing to make a difference. Let's inspire each other, learn from one another, and take this mana back to our communities.’
Song and storytelling
The importance of song and storytelling was also a recurring element of the conference. The event kicked off with a beachside reception for delegates and their whānau at a traditional pōwhiri with a warmly received performance from Te Roopu Waiata, Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti led by Owen Lloyd.
Te Roopu Waiata, Te Whatu Ora Tairawhiti Cultural Lead Owen Lloyd, Ngarongo Eaton and Molly Para.
The visitors’ response of gratitude for this warm welcome was led in te reo Māori and te reo Pakeha by Aotearoa Faculty Board Deputy Chair Dr Michael Connelly with some guidance from Lloyd and Manaaki Mana co-chair Piki Mathieson.
Manawaroa was explored by speakers ranging from former ‘Gissie’ local and keynote speaker Peter Mataira, Professor of Social Work at Hawaii Pacific University, to Aotearoa-based panellists addressing the importance of wellness and sustainability in lively Q&A sessions.
‘I still call myself a Coastie. My heart’s here, my marae is here,’ Prof Mataira said in his speech, Voices of resilience: The intersection of Indigenous storytelling, resistance, and AI in critical health care.
Prof Mataira explored the links between AI and storytelling and was later joined on stage for songs with his extended family - including his sister, a nurse at the local hospital - to the accompaniment of guitar.
Keynote speaker Peter Mataira, Professor of Social Work at Hawaii Pacific University.
‘I think storytelling is the highest form of data you can ever gather,’ he said. ‘There are tools out there now, and AI and the work I've been doing is trying to develop these kinds of tools that we can extract data from story.’
Later speakers also struck a spark with listeners, with tales of influential representations in media such as television shows ER and The Pitt to YouTube comedian Dr Glaucomflecken. ‘ER inspired a lot of us to do emergency medicine,’ Aotearoa NZ Faculty Chair FACEM Dr Kate Allan joked.
Packed programme
Delegates heard from speakers including FACEM Dr Ryan Radecki (Health New Zealand) on artificial intelligence; local paediatrician, Dr Shaun Grant FRACP (Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand, Tairāwhiti) on rheumatic heart disease; FACEM Dr Erica Douglass (Wellington Free Ambulance) on prehospital medicine; Dr Kate Allan (Clinical Director for Emergency Medicine at Waitematā District) on workforce; FACEM and Associate Professor Peter Jones (Director of EM Research Auckland City Hospital on Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand Acute Care); and FACEM Dr Jenny Jamieson (Deputy Director of the Trauma Service Royal Hobart Hospital) on volunteering.
NZ Faculty Chair Dr Kate Allen and retired emergency physician Peter Freeman.
Among the conference drawcards were workshops on Surf Life Support Training, Ultrasound - Progress POCUS, Antiracism and Cultural Safety and the Manaaki Mana Hui.
Popular interactive sessions were:
Wellbeing with FACEM Dr Mike Nicholls (Te Toka Tumai Auckland City Hospital ED), FACEM Dr Leanne Toney (Ōtautahi Christchurch DEMT), FACEM Dr Heidi Baker (Te Toka Tumai Auckland City Hospital ED SMO and paediatrician), and FACEM Dr Jo Cole (Tauranga Hospital EM Specialist);
Implementing Sustainable EM Solutions with FACEM and GP Dr Brian O'Connell (Climate Risk/Net Zero Clinical Lead for NSW Emergency Departments with Ministry of Health, and Deputy Chair of ACEM’s Sustainable Emergency Medicine and Climate Advocacy Network (SEMCAN)) and Past President of ACEM Dr John Bonning, with recorded presentations from Professor Hugh Montgomery OBE, Dr Karen Danenhauer and Professor Ian Scott. Dr Michael Connelly supported the Q&A panel that followed.
Making connections
“‘You can’t underestimate the power of social connection. There’s a lot that happens at meetings and conferences.’”
As well as attending workshops and hearing from local and international speakers about new discoveries and innovations, many attendees also looked forward to networking, making and strengthening connections, and learning from colleagues.
‘You can’t underestimate the power of social connection. There’s a lot that happens at meetings and conferences,’ Dr Allan said.
That sentiment was shared by many.
‘First and foremost, it’s an opportunity to connect with people from various areas around the country and from Australia, and to network,’ Dr Erica Douglass said. ‘In terms of conference content, it’s always nice to see what’s being done in different areas and help create interest and spark ideas.
“‘It’s always nice to see what’s being done in different areas and help create interest and spark ideas.’”
Dr Ruth Highman came from WA to see how the ‘other half work’.
Dr Ruth Highman, Senior Medical Practitioner working for Western Australia Country Health Service (WACHS) at Geraldton Hospital Emergency Department, came from Western Australia in search of an ‘understanding of how the other half work’.
‘On a broader level, trying to get more of an understanding of the parallels between our Indigenous Aboriginal and your Māori populations’ similarities and differences,’ she said.
‘A problem shared is a problem halved,’ FACEM Dr Tim Petterson of Taranaki said. ‘When you realise you’re not facing these challenges on your own, in your own department, that it’s shared among other departments, [it] just builds that solidarity in confronting those changes and challenges every department is facing.’
He was drawn to attend the Manaaki Mana workshop and sessions on AI and Vanuatu, having spent time there growing up and being interested in possibly volunteering in the future.
Dr Petterson’s Taranaki colleague Dr Connelly said, “It’s great to re-connect with old colleagues, and meet new faces. All of us are enthusiastic about advancing emergency medicine in Aotearoa.”
Stars, blue skies and surf
ACEM President Dr Stephen Gourley.
‘A lot of people will say they come to conferences for the connection. You have that connection every day in a small town that you wouldn't have in a big city,’ Dr Marion said.
The co-convenors expressed gratitude to ACEM for choosing Gisborne as the venue and giving attendees the chance to experience the relaxed vibe and family-friendly regional setting.
‘Getting here for a lot of you is no easy task and demonstrates your commitment to ACEM and your specialty,’ Dr Marion told delegates. ‘I really think that the future of emergency medicine in New Zealand is having trainees mandated to do runs in regional areas and showing how they can add value and get the experience at smaller places.’
Gisborne’s beachside location also presented opportunities outside the busy schedule for informal catch-ups with health sector colleagues at the conference dinner, an Astro Tour at the Observatory, as well as a surf lesson, fly fishing and Dive Tatapouri Ecology Tour.
‘We always say that our surf is some of the best in the world. Our wine is some of the best in the world, and our patient population and nursing staff are some of the best in the world,’ Dr Prystowsky said.
Thoughts and reflections
Throughout the conference, respect for humanity and the core message of ‘the people, the people, people’, was emphasised.
“‘We must work together for the wellbeing of everyone. Me mahi tahi tatou mou te oranga o te katoa.’”
‘We must work together for the wellbeing of everyone. Me mahi tahi tatou mou te oranga o te katoa,’ Dr Shaun Grant said.
‘Models are dependent on what is put into them,’ Dr Ryan Radecki said of machine-learning developments and AI.
FACEMs Dr Leanne Toney, Dr Heidi Baker and Dr Christine Brabyn.
‘We come to work to do a good job for our patients and we can’t do that work unless we’re working optimally,’ Dr Mike Nicholls said.
‘If we make workplaces better and safer for women, we make them better for all workers,’ Dr Leanne Toney said.
Dr John Bonning recommended avoiding ‘overtesting, overdiagnosing, overscreening, overtreating’ and ‘starting that diagnostic cascade that can only cause harm to the patient and delays to the system’.
ACEM President Dr Stephen Gourley’s personal reflection emphasised compassion, gratitude, curiosity, and the importance of play to maintain social connection and create a safe space.
‘I still love my clinical work,’ he said. ‘It's such a privilege to see and treat people on their worst day, or even sometimes on their best day, having that interaction and just being grateful for where you are, what you've got, and where you’re going.
‘To me, this is wellbeing, and this is how you recover. This is how you bounce back from all the things life throws at you.’
“‘We are our own best advertisement. We work in a really tough environment, we work with incredible teams, doing amazing stuff and you can never let go of that because that’s really what keeps us going.’”
Dr Allan spoke of the G23 Guideline on constructing a sustainable emergency department medical workforce, ACEM’s ‘most-downloaded guideline’ and the work needed to address the shortfall in staffing numbers across the country. ‘How do we support the workforce and still provide the specialist-level care needed by our patients 24/7?’ she asked. ‘What do we want us to look like?
‘We are our own best advertisement. We work in a really tough environment, we work with incredible teams, doing amazing stuff and you can never let go of that because that’s really what keeps us going,’ Dr Allan said.
Teamwork key
Tauranga EDs John Wylie, CNM, Moana Nepia, HCA and Kai Manaaki, Jean Hiini, nurse, and FACEM Dr Jo Cole.
The key to emergency medicine is great teamwork, and this was acknowledged by all the award winners at the conference.
Piki Mathieson and Dr Kim Yates presented the Al Spilman Award for Cultural Safety Initiatives in an Emergency Department to Tauranga ED, which was received by Dr Jo Cole and Moana Nepia. ‘We might be standing here, but there's five other team members in the audience and there's a massive team at home as well behind us,’ Dr Jo Cole said.
ACEM Project Lead, Māori Health Dianne Te Tau and Dr Allan presented the 2024 Aotearoa New Zealand Emergency Medicine Award ‘Thriving in Emergency Medicine’ to the Christchurch ED Education Team, which was received by FACEMs Dr Laura Bannister and Dr Eva Ross.
FACEMs Dr Laura Bannister and Dr Eva Ross.
‘We’re really grateful and wanted to emphasise it’s not just us but a whole heap of people behind this team doing the mahi and working really hard,’ Dr Bannister said.
‘We love teaching. It’s the way we give back to our department. I hope the trainees really appreciate it because we love doing it. (For) people who aren’t trainees, it encourages them into emergency medicine.
‘We’ve got a strong history of education and teaching as a specialty, one of the things that did draw me to it.
‘We both have benefited over the years, we’ve been taught and now we’re teachers,” Dr Ross said.
Dr Rebecca Goodwin (Bex).
ACEM trainee Dr Rebecca Goodwin (Bex), on receiving Peter Freeman’s 'Making A Difference' Award, said: ‘There are so many people here that I think are far more deserving of this award than I am.
‘Being here has made me fall in love again with emergency medicine.’
Call to action
The conference ended with a call to action from Dr Marion. ‘This is stuff that matters,’ he said. ‘This is real mahi that people are doing around the motu.
‘We can do these things now. Take what you have here and go back and put it in your department.’
Coming up
The next ACEM Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) will take place on the Gold Coast in Australia 23-27 November 2025. The ASM registration portal is now open and workshops available for registration at early bird rates here.
