Criminology conference heading for Christchurch
Christchurch City Council has won the right to host the Environmental Criminology and Crime Analysis (ECCA) Annual
Symposium in June 2015, which will see around 100 delegates visit the city.
The latest success marks the second conference win for Christchurch in recent months. In June, the city secured the
right to host the 20th Pacific Association of Quantity Surveyors (PAQS) Congress, which will attract 400 Asia–Pacific
delegates to Christchurch in 2016.
The ECCA Symposium will bring together an international group of academics who are leaders in the fields of
environmental criminology and crime prevention. ECCA membership and conference attendance is by invitation only and
there are approximately 80 members worldwide.
“ECCA members are the most eminent environmental criminologists in the world, so it’s a coup for Christchurch to host
them next year,” says Sue Ramsay, Crime Prevention Team Leader, Christchurch City Council.
“They are very interested in the rebuild of the city and, in particular, the Crime Prevention through Environmental
Design work being led by the Council’s Crime Prevention Team.
“We’re thrilled that our bid was successful and we’re very much looking forward to seeing the delegates here next June”
she says.
Support for the bid was provided by New Zealand Police, the Ministry of Justice, Wynyard Group, University of
Canterbury, Tourism New Zealand and Christchurch and Canterbury Convention Bureau.
Christchurch and Canterbury Convention Bureau (CCCB) manager Caroline Blanchfield says it is heartening to see another
conference made up entirely of international delegates choosing to meet in Christchurch.
“Christchurch is proving it offers a unique learning environment for delegates across diverse fields of interest.
“We have a wealth of expertise to share in many sectors, including earth and health sciences, agriculture, technology
and education,” she says.
The ECCA Symposium was previously hosted in Wellington in 2003. The organising committee travelled to present their bid
to host the 2015 symposium in Amsterdam in June and won against competition from India and Germany.
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