Search Marketing Network presents
Search is changing fast. Join the best minds in SEO and AI search.
At a glance
The lineup
Conference sponsors
SEO specialists, agency leaders, in-house teams, solo marketers, freelancers, developers and content creators.
The programme
Sessions span the full search marketing landscape: technical, strategic, and commercial. Expect honest, practical content on where the industry is heading, including a grounded take on AI's evolving role in search. What's changing, what isn't, considering the possibilities and challenges AI presents, and how it all integrates into SEOs everyday workflows.
Keynotes and panels from international names and New Zealand's finest. Speakers who are at the forefront of their field, sharing what's working now, and what's coming next. Expect sessions that challenge how you think, not just what you know.
Two tracks, running side by side. One is built for those earlier in their search journey: practical, hands-on, and grounded in what actually works. The other goes deep: advanced technical topics, agency leadership, and the harder problems senior practitioners are solving right now.
Web, design and media sponsors
The mission
New Zealand's search marketing community has never had a conference of its own, until now. One that advances and elevates the industry, nurtures local talent, brings the world's best thinking here, and puts New Zealand search on the map.
In an industry changing faster than ever, staying relevant means adapting quickly and learning from each other. This event will bring together agency leaders, in-house marketers and practitioners to share the latest in search, hear from international voices, and build lasting connections.
The venue
Welcome to one of Ōtautahi Christchurch's best-loved landmarks. This heritage-listed building sits right on the banks of the Avon River in the heart of the city, with riverside views and Victoria Square on its doorstep. After a full restoration, it reopened in 2019, combining its celebrated architecture with modern event technology.
Our conference will run across two of its signature spaces: the expansive Limes Room and the more intimate Victoria Room. Catering will be prepared in-house and will celebrate local Canterbury produce. With easy access by foot, bus or taxi, it's a venue that makes every session feel like an occasion.
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Good to know
10 & 11 June 2027, at the Christchurch Town Hall, 86 Kilmore Street, Christchurch 8013, New Zealand.
SEOs at all levels, in-house teams, agencies, freelancers, and the developers and digital marketers who shape what people find online. The workshop day will have one track for people newer to SEO and another for senior practitioners and agencies.
No. The conference brings together the search community from New Zealand, across the Tasman and further afield.
Early Bird tickets are $525 + booking fee + GST. General Admission tickets are $655 + booking fee + GST. Each order also has a transaction fee of 2.75% + 30c. All prices are in New Zealand dollars, and you'll see the full breakdown in the Ticket Tailor checkout before you pay.
Early Bird tickets are limited and available until they sell out. Once they're gone, General Admission pricing applies. Secure your seat.
Your ticket covers everything you need for both days: two full days of NZ SEO Conf., every talk and workshop, topics covered at your level, international and local speakers, and fully catered days with tea and coffee on arrival, morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea, made from locally sourced Canterbury produce. Let us know your dietary requirements when you book.
The search industry is in the middle of its most disruptive period in years. Traditional search engines, large language models, generative engines, and emerging platforms are all competing for the same user behaviour, and the rules are being rewritten in real time.
This is an SEO conference. But SEO doesn't exist in isolation from AI-driven search, answer engine optimisation, or generative engine optimisation, and we won't pretend it does. The programme will be built to reflect where the industry actually is, not where it was.
Expect content that covers the full spectrum of organic search: the fundamentals that still matter, the platforms that are changing the game, and the strategies practitioners and agencies need to stay ahead across traditional search, LLMs, and whatever comes next.
What you won't find is hype for its own sake. Every session will be grounded in what's real, what's working, and what you can actually apply.
We're building the event now and will share speakers, the programme and more as each is confirmed. Register your interest to hear first.
Christchurch rebuilt itself on innovation, community and ingenuity. That's the spirit we want in the room. The central city is compact, with hotels, restaurants and bars a short walk from the venue. It's also the gateway to the South Island's mountains, lakes and wine country. We'll be adding tourism activities around the conference, so you can make the most of the trip.
Christchurch Airport is easy to reach from across New Zealand, with direct flights from Auckland, Wellington and regional centres, and from Australia, with direct flights from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Coming from further afield? Fly direct from Singapore or Fiji, or connect through Auckland, Sydney or other Australian cities.
The conference runs Thursday 10 and Friday 11 June 2027, deliberately placed between two long weekends.
For New Zealanders, King's Birthday weekend falls just before (5-7 June), so you can arrive early and enjoy a short working week in Christchurch. For most Australians, King's Birthday weekend comes straight after (12-14 June), so you can stay on and explore Canterbury before heading home.
Either way, there's time to arrive, work remotely or take some leave, and make a week of it in Canterbury.
It's early winter. Expect crisp, often clear days around 11°C and cold mornings, so pack a warm jacket.
We're open to speaker submissions from industry leaders and specialists in New Zealand. Email your name and a brief note on what you'd like to talk about to conference@smn.nz.
We're also looking for sponsors and community partners to enhance the experience of our guests. If you'd like to exhibit, pay for coffees, donate your products or offer discounts, we'd love to hear from you at conference@smn.nz.
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SMN Events Limited, the company behind Search Marketing Network, New Zealand's search marketing community, founded and run by Michaela Laubscher and Martina Grossi.
Michaela has spent years building the search marketing community in Christchurch, hosting events that give local SEOs a place to connect, share and grow. Martina brings international perspective and deep industry relationships across New Zealand, Australia and beyond.
Together they've spent the better part of a year talking to practitioners, agencies, conference organisers and industry leaders to understand what this community needs, and building NZ SEO Conf. 2027 around that.
Special thanks to
