From the 18th - 20th May the NZ Stormwater Conference was held in the Rutherford Hotel, Nelson. The conference was attended by 329 delegates; 9 more than the record number set at last year's conference in Auckland. One of the main themes at this conference was resilient design. Designing and implementing systems that can withstand unexpected events and natural disasters.

The conference was a milestone for StormWater360 in that it marked our 20th year of providing stormwater solutions in NZ, and our 12th as the primary sponsor of the NZ Stormwater Conference.

The Stormwater360 team delivered four oral presentations this year:-

• Designing Stormwater Treatment Devices - Resilient Considerations and Implications by Kevin Jonathan,
• Evaluating the Equivalency of a High Rate Biofiltration BMP to Traditional Biofiltration by Michael Hannah,
• Plant Growth Trials in Rapid Filtration Media by Dr. John Cheah, and
• Evaluating More Than Performance - Asset Use and Longevity by Scott Perry

This year presentations on the development and performance of bioretention treatment systems featured well. It was interesting to see the concept of collaborative planning cropping up in a number of presentations this year including a keynote presentation by Jim Sinner from the Cawthron Institute and others using the Mauri Model tool.

The first ever Stormwater Awards were given out during the conference dinner to acknowledge individuals who had made significant contributions to the stormwater industry. Peter Mitchel received the award for stormwater professional of the year, and Micheal Law won the best paper award for his paper "Planning for Exceedance in a Changing Climate." John Palmer was also recognized for his services to the WaterNZ stormwater Group, having been on the committee for 10 years and for chairing 8 stormwater conferences.

Thus marked the conclusion of another successful stormwater conference. It's great to see the stormwater conference attended by an ever increasing number and diversity of people from various industries and backgrounds, and the progressive work many have been and are doing in providing stormwater solutions in NZ.