To our esteemed colleagues, propelled together by the four winds from near and afar, we greet you and your families.

E ngā matawaka, e ngā mana, e ngā reo, e rau rangatira mā, tēnā koutou. E ngā hau e whā, ngā mihi nui ki a koutou me ō koutou whānau hoki. Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa. 

The Conference Organising Committee for PCE2021 is very much focused on the conference which will take place in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand in June 2021 from Sunday 20^th to Wednesday 23^rd June. In light of the ongoing uncertainties with regard to international travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have restructured the conference to be a hybrid event allowing international delegates to attend and present remotely.

Full conference registration will allow international delegates to access all keynotes and presentation sessions remotely via the conference app (Whova), as well as the opening and closing sessions including the pōwhiri/opening ceremony and poroporoake/closing ceremony. Access can be live-streamed in real time or replayed from recordings. This allows delegates to listen to every presentation session, both during the conference as well as for up to 6 months after the conference.

Individual session registration will allow delegates to access the keynote and presentation session for the specific registered sessions only, with the recordings of these specific sessions available for up to 6 months after the conference. Session registration will also allow delegates to access the pōwhiri/opening and poroporoake/closing ceremonies free of charge.

In addition to providing access to the live-stream and recorded sessions, the conference app enables delegates to plan their attendance with a custom programme in their local timezone, as well as networking with other delegates before, during and after the conference. We will also provide opportunities for virtual coffee breaks where online delegates can mingle and discuss the conference with each other. Delegates can also arrange virtual meet-ups with each other through the community notice board.

During presentations, there will be a conference helper attending every session to assist the presenter. Helpers will be able to assist both local and remote presenters with sharing their presentations, playing videos, and distributing handouts both online and in the room. They will also keep track of and coordinate any questions from delegates in the room and online. Helpers can also assist presenters in managing the use of break out discussion groups, as well as polls and surveys.

Further details and guides for the conference app can be found using the following links:

Whova attendee user guide: https://whova.com/pages/whova-app-user-guide/

Whova speaker guide: https://whova.com/pages/whova-speaker-guide/

Please note that unfortunately it is not possible to remotely attend the pre-conference workshop on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th June.

The Call for Abstracts is now open until Sunday 25^th April and we would encourage you to consider presenting at the conference. For further information on the conference themes and presentation types please see the details below and online at https://www.pce2021.com/call-for-abstracts

Early bird registration is open until Sunday 2^nd May and we would encourage you to register soon to take advantage of the significantly reduced fees. The World Association has also funded a limited number of Conference Bursaries offering a 50% discount to registration fees on application. For further details on registration, please see https://www.pce2021.com/registration

Whoever is attending, live in person or live online, we are envisaging this World Conference as an event that, while local to Aotearoa New Zealand, is looking outward to our colleagues in the international PCE community, as well as inviting PCE colleagues all over the world to experience something of PCE in and of this country.

Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa | Greetings to you.

Professor Keith Tudor
Chair, PCE2021 Conference Organising Committee