In November 2022 NZOA & AOA held the largest Orthopaedic Conference ever held in New Zealand at the new Te Pae Conference and Events Centre in Christchurch. With over 700 delegates and an additional 180 sponsor reps, it was an excellent opportunity for recent academic work to be presented as well as renewing social ties and professional networks. The event was supported with an event app and registration kiosks using On-Site technology. Enztec was proud to sponsor this event and exhibit some of our most recent product innovations.
The Australian Orthopaedic Association (AOA) is the peak professional organisation for orthopaedic surgery in Australia. AOA has over 1,800 members, consisting mostly of orthopaedic consultants and registrars in Australian hospitals and spanning all orthopaedic subspecialties. AOA is a not-for-profit organisation that provides high-quality specialist education, training and continued professional development for Australian orthopaedic surgeons. It is committed to ensuring the highest possible standard of orthopaedic care, is the leading authority in the provision of orthopaedic information to the community and actively supports scientific research and orthopaedic humanitarian initiatives in Australia and overseas.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand Orthopaedic Association (NZOA) was formed in 1950 and has been in existence ever since growing in both structure and stature. The first Annual Scientific Meeting was held at Christchurch Hospital in September 1950. One of the key issues of concern discussed back then was the low number of orthopaedic surgeons in smaller centres - and this remains an issue today. Fast forward to 2022 and NZOA is now close to 500 members, the Association is proud to be working sustainably and supporting diversity. A changing world feeds innovation and NZOA advocates and engages in an agile manner to help ensure New Zealanders receive the best orthopaedic outcomes possible.
With multiple cancelled and rescheduled meetings over the last two years, this year's combined NZOA & AOA event provided an excellent opportunity to connect with our key customers face-to-face again, embodying this year’s theme of togetherness, diversity and sustainability.
The NZOA & AOA welcomed people from all over the world. Some of these included UK National Joint Registry Director and ex-Interim Chair Tim Wilton, presenting as part of the 'Registry as a monitor of surgical practice' panel. As well as NFL UK Medical Advisor and Editor-in-Chief of the Bone and Joint Journal Dr Fares Haddad as part of both discussion panels. Interim AOA Registry Clinical Director Professor Paul Smith joined NZOA Registry Founder Alastair Rothwell for two presentations exploring the history and changing patterns of surgery identified by the Registry. The breadth of knowledge and depth of expertise of the diverse speakers that came together at these sessions was a fantastic opportunity that Enztec were proud to be a part of.
