Welcome to the 2026 New Zealand Respiratory Trainee Hui — the inaugural national meeting for respiratory trainees in Aotearoa New Zealand.
This new annual hui brings together respiratory registrars from across the country for a dedicated weekend of connection, collaboration, and education. Designed by trainees, for trainees, the hui provides a unique opportunity to learn from expert clinicians, share experiences, build professional networks, and strengthen a sense of nationwide respiratory community.
The New Zealand Respiratory Trainee Hui is intended to complement existing national training programmes, including the NZ Lung School, by offering additional protected, trainee-focused education alongside dedicated time for networking and peer connection. By creating space for trainees to meet and collaborate outside their local training centres, the hui aims to foster enduring professional relationships that will support trainees throughout their careers.
Background
The New Zealand Respiratory Trainee Hui was established in response to strong and consistent feedback from respiratory trainees calling for more specialty-specific education and greater opportunities to connect with peers across the country.
This initiative has been developed through collaboration between trainee representatives from the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ), the Advanced Training Committee of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP), respiratory trainees nationwide, consultant physicians from multiple training centres, and industry partners. The hui aligns respiratory training with other medical specialties in Aotearoa New Zealand that already benefit from dedicated national trainee meetings.
Curriculum
The hui is structured around a three-year rolling curriculum, reflecting the duration of advanced respiratory training in Aotearoa New Zealand and aligning with the NZ Lung School teaching framework.
Programme content is carefully curated to:
- Minimise overlap with NZ Lung School teaching
- Complement, rather than duplicate, other key respiratory courses attended during training, including:
- NZ Pleural and Bronchoscopy Course
- Aotearoa New Zealand NIV Course
- TSANZ Trainee Day at the Annual Scientific Meeting
The curriculum emphasises practical, clinically relevant education, emerging topics in respiratory medicine, and skills not routinely addressed elsewhere, while maintaining flexibility to adapt to trainee feedback and evolving training needs.