1. Conference Aims and Themes
2. Presentation types
3. Abstract selection criteria
4. Abstract submission
5. Abstract notification

1. Conference Aims and Themes

NZAG is:
A multidisciplinary organisation committed to understanding ageing and promoting the interests of older people

An affiliated member of IAGG – the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics

Our Aims:
1. To promote study and quality research on ageing
2. To encourage research informed age-related training and continuing education
3. To stimulate impactful and informed debate and action on improving the wellbeing of older people
4. To proactively contribute to public discussion and policy on ageing
5. To provide a forum for networking and exchanging ideas

Conference Themes

We aim to celebrate older people and their essential contributions to society, address ageism upfront, provide new thinking, new methods, research and education that will add value to the lives of older people, their whanau and families, carers, health professionals, health and regional planners, private and public providers, artists, businesses and society interested in Ageing.
We welcome diversity in methods and approaches for this conference, and include research, development work, workshops, and we also welcome diversity in your presentation style. To assist the New Zealand Association of Gerontology 2024 Conference Organising Committee with their task of grouping related presentations, authors of abstracts for are required to categorise their abstract into one or more of the conference themes across the following:

• Health and wellbeing; this is a broad theme including brain health, quality of life, frailty, general physical and mental wellbeing.
• Contexts of care; this includes work/research in aged care settings in the community and residential care, and work/research about care giving.
• Socio-ecology of ageing; this incorporates, transport, work and retirement, housing, geography and environments of ageing.
• Theoretical and methodological advances in ageing research, new methods of research and engaging with older people.
• Indigenous led or indigenous focussed work, please outline how indigenous communities are involved, and how indigenous people have led and been involved in the work.
• Culture, social change, and inequalities; this incorporates work/research on the social, political, and cultural dimensions of ageing, issues related to power and inequalities, and how to tackle these challenges in policy and practice.
• Ageing, humanities and the arts; this incorporates work/research exploring ageing through creative approaches, such as literary production; language; art, music and dance; and autoethnography and biography.

Please choose the main theme and indicate in the abstract if relevant to other themes of the conference. 

2. Presentation types

There will be several presentation types, including traditional Oral and Poster format at the New Zealand Association of Gerontology 2024 Conference. We will also accommodate other offerings including arts based performance or exhibition. All are equally valued contributions. Different presentation formats may be best suited to different kinds of content. Authors should offer their proposal with as much information as possible so the committee can understand the requirements for time and space. However, the final presentation type will be determined by the New Zealand Association of Gerontology 2024 Conference Review and Programme Committee.

Please note that if your abstract is accepted, the presenting author will be expected to register as a conference delegate by the 19 July 2024. Failure to register will result in removal of your presentation from the conference programme.

• Symposia:

Up to 90 minute time slots are available for each symposium, which is expected to include 3-5 presentations/ performances and opportunities for audience participation.

Please present an overview for the symposium, and details of each presenter, including the moderator or discussant, and the details of their presentations. Outline the timeline to include audience participation or discussion. 

• Oral presentation (15 minutes total, comprising: 10-minute talk + 5-minute audience interaction or other presentation e.g., performance, exhibition, panel)

Typically, oral presentations will be complete stories or largely finished research projects, or creative works with clear outcomes and conclusions. They should be placed in a broad ecological context and therefore be of general interest beyond the immediate subject area. If applicable, authors should outline potential or existing collaboration(s) with industry, academia, creative industries, other research organisations in New Zealand or internationally, and also summarise the (potential) impact.

Presentations should aim to engage the audience, to create interest, seek feedback and encourage further enquiry. Presentations are approximately 10-12 minutes long, followed by 3-5 minutes for further discussion/question time, for a total of 15 minutes.

• Posters (A0 portrait display)

Poster presentations are suited for work in progress and preliminary results and are also useful for reporting new methods and techniques that might be of relatively narrow interest to researchers or industry development persons in particular fields. Studies that seem ideal for Oral presentations can also be presented very effectively as Posters.

Posters encourage direct engagement between those with interesting work to share and a wide audience, in a personal setting. Posters will be displayed in the conference space available to attendees during breaks and there will be specific poster session opportunities. Poster session times will be announced in the conference program. Posters presenters must register for the conference.

Authors should bring their posters to the Conference ready for display.

• PechaKucha

New this year – try a PechaKucha format! here the slide parameters are more controlled than a traditional presentation. You are allowed 20 slides, and each is shown for a controlled time of 20 seconds, resulting in a total presentation time of 6 minutes and 40 seconds.. Slides should be visual; no words are allowed unless they are included in the image. No animations, no video or sound files, transitions are done for you. For more information about PechaKucha please see here. 

3. Abstract selection criteria

The New Zealand Association of Gerontology 2024 Conference Programme Committee will attempt to accommodate the preferred presentation type for all authors. The number of oral presentations and symposia that can be accommodated in the programme is limited, hence the number of authors requesting Oral presentations may exceed the places available. If the demand for Oral presentations exceeds the available time slots, the New Zealand Association of Gerontology 2024 Conference Programme Committee will review all abstracts for 15-minute presentations offering some delegates, who request Oral presentations, the option of presenting a Poster or even a PechaKucha style presentation. We invite those symposium submitters who are unsuccessful to resubmit presentations as individual abstracts.
All submissions will be reviewed by the New Zealand Association of Gerontology 2024 Conference panel committee members and academics.

All submissions will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

• relevance to the conference
• relevance to the conference themes and objectives of NZAG
• presents key issues to a broader interest to the general aged care community
• quality & novelty of the abstract
• scientific merit, originality and interest;
• compliance with the word count and format requirements for abstracts (as per templates).

All submitters will receive an email confirming the outcome of their abstracts. All of these criteria are key considerations in the acceptance of all submissions. We reserve the right to discuss your submission with you as part of the process of assembling the programme.

4. Abstract submission

When submitting an Abstract, you will be required to provide the following information in the Portal and in your Abstract respectively.
Portal (instructions within the Portal are clear and self-explanatory)

• Abstract title (should reflect the content of the presentation)
• Name, affiliation and contact details of the corresponding (presenting) Author and any Co-author(s)
• Preferred presentation type (Symposia, Oral presentation, Poster presentation, or PechaKucha)
• Permission to publish your Abstract in the conference handbook which will be available online
• Acknowledgement that the presenting Author will register and attend the New Zealand Association of Gerontology 2024 Conference
• Indication if presenting author wishes to be considered for the Māori or emerging researcher award
Abstract (details are specified in the submission portal)
• Abstract Document (max. length 1250 words for Symposia, max. length 250 words for Oral, Poster and PechaKucha, excluding Title, Authors and Biography)

Early submission of abstracts is recommended.

The closing date for Symposia submission is 08 April 2024 and the closing date for Oral, Poster and PechaKucha submission is 30 April 2024.

Once your abstract has been accepted for a presentation at the New Zealand Association of Gerontology 2024 Conference, you are required to register and pay to attend before Friday 19 July 2024 to avoid being removed from the programme.

Please note: Early Bird Registrations close on 12 July 2024.

Prizes will be awarded during the conference closing ceremony:

• Best Poster presentations
• Best emerging researcher/clinician presentation (see definition)
• Best Māori research/researcher presentation

Please indicate if you wish to be considered for the Māori or emerging researcher award. The emerging researcher award is for oral presentation format only.

Definition of Emerging Researcher/Clinician: Current higher degree student, or current faculty, and non‐academic NZAG members within 6 years from the award of a higher degree (e.g. PhD/Masters) or advanced postdocs, allied health professionals, and clinicians are also encouraged.’

At the review stage the top-most ranked oral presentation abstracts from emerging researchers will be allocated for a bespoke emerging researcher session within the conference where presentations will be judged for this prize (i.e. on the candidates research design, execution, analysis and appraisal of their work; ability to communicate key concepts clearly to the NZAG audience; and competence in answering questions and discussing points raised by the judges and audience). Therefore presentations within symposia, posters or PechaKucha, will not be eligible for this award.

Māori research/researcher are self-identified.

Symposia presentations are not eligible for prizes.

5. Abstract notification

Authors of symposia will be notified of the outcome on 28 April 2024.
Other authors will be notified of the outcome of the review process by or before 12 June 2024.