29th Annual Meeting (2026)
Dates: 7–8 December 2026
Host: Laidlaw College, Auckland
3 Smythe Road, Henderson
Dual mode (in-person and via Zoom)
CALL FOR PAPERS 2026
Papers are invited for either of the following two streams:
General Paper stream:
20 min presentations + 10 min of discussion. There is no conference theme, so we welcome any topic and method related to biblical literature and its reception.
NB: A 20-minute paper is roughly 2,000 words.
Hui–Talanoa stream:
“What remains is for us all to make the leap into realizing how some biblical texts and interpretations are unhealthy and toxic… One of the tasks available for islander critics is to engage the literary creations of our own people so that we are sustained by the sons and daughters of our waters.” – Jione Havea (1965–2026)
In the spirit of Havea’s challenge, we invite presentations that bring biblical texts and interpretations into conversation—kōrero, talanoa—with Māori or Pasifika novelists, poets, songwriters, dramatists, essayists, writers, and orators, past and present. What shifts when Indigenous voices in literature and oratory talk back to the biblical text? We are interested in exchanges that move in both directions, reshaping either text and/or readers. We are also privy to the fact that, like the moana waters, the rhythms of such talanoa exchanges can move in completely unexpected and alter-native paths, which—more than reshaping texts and/or readers—rewrites texts, pushes readers’ limits, and dismantles systems. We welcome papers that ask questions such as the following: what colonial and hegemonic assumptions embedded in biblical scholarship get unsettled when Indigenous voices enter the room? What does it look like to read scripture from the vantage point of our waters, our whenua? What caucacities are upended and what shitstemic violences get called out? Proposals for 25-minute presentations (plus 10 minutes for discussion) are warmly welcomed.
Submission of proposals – both streams
Please include
1. your preferred stream: paper or hui–talanoa
2. a title
3. an abstract (100–150 words)
4. name(s) of presenter(s) and (if applicable) institutional affiliation(s)
5. whether you will attend in-person or via Zoom
6. Please indicate if you would like to be considered for a scholarship (see below).
Send to Jonathan Robinson: Jonathan.Robinson [at] Carey [dot] ac [dot] nz.
Proposals should be received by 25 September 2026 – though early proposals are most welcome!
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION
Further details on registration and conference arrangements will be sent out in early October.
Registration fees (including morning and afternoon teas):
$50 waged
$25 online only and/or unwaged
Email PChurch [at] laidlaw [dot] ac [dot] nz for payment details
Or, payable at the conference by EFTPOS.
An optional conference dinner will be held on the Monday evening, venue to be announced, pay individually for what you order.
Please share this call for papers widely, and do especially encourage graduate students to consider offering a paper. We look forward to seeing you at Laidlaw College in Auckland!
2026 CONFERENCE Awards
ANZABS Postgraduate Scholarships
2 x $200 scholarships for postgraduate students to attend the conference in person and present their research. These will be paid to the recipients upon confirmation of attendance at the conference.
Scholarship Eligibility
Applicants for the scholarships must be enrolled in or a recent (within 1 year) graduate of a New Zealand postgraduate degree, i.e., Masters, PhD, or equivalent. An applicant may apply for both a scholarship and the essay prize. Only postgraduates who are presenting at the conference in person may apply for a scholarship. Indicate that you are applying for a scholarship when you submit your paper proposal and provide eligibility information in the same email (see previous page).
Judith E. McKinlay Memorial Essay Prize
The Judith E. McKinlay Memorial Essay Prize of $400 will be awarded to a postgraduate student essay as determined by the ANZABS Executive Committee. It will be awarded at the conference.
Prize Eligibility
Applicants for the essay prize must be enrolled in, or a recent (within 1 year) graduate of, a New Zealand postgraduate degree, i.e., Masters, PhD, or equivalent. An applicant may apply for both a scholarship and the essay prize.
Essay Criteria
The essay should be 5,000-8,500 words, inclusive of footnotes. The essays will be judged on quality and significance of research, and clarity of communication. All essays will receive constructive written feedback from the judges. The essay topic or an aspect of it should be presented at the conference as either a general paper or a hui–talanoa. Work that has already been published or accepted for publication should not be submitted (this does not include thesis publication in institutional depositories).
Essay Submission
Send to Jonathan Robinson at: jonathan.robinson [at] carey [dot] ac [dot] nz by 25th September 2026. Please give eligibility information in the covering email.
Previous Annual Meetings
28 (1–2 December 2025) Laidlaw College, Christchurch [Conference Programme and abstracts pdf]
27 (3–4 December 2024) Carey Baptist College, Auckland [Conference Programme and Abstracts pdf]
26 (4–5 December 2023) Te Kupenga Catholic Theological College, Auckland [Conference Programme and Abstracts pdf]
25 (5–6 December 2022) University of Otago, Dunedin [Conference Programme and Abstracts pdf]
24 (6–7 December 2021) Virtual Conference (Laidlaw College, Auckland) [Conference Programme and Abstracts pdf]
23 (30 November–1 December 2020) Laidlaw College, Christchurch [Conference Programme pdf]
22 (1–3 July 2019) Carey Baptist College, Auckland
21 (6–7 December 2018) Trinity Methodist Theological College and St John’s College, Auckland [Conference Programme and Abstracts pdf]
20 (4–5 December 2017) University of Otago, Dunedin [Conference Programme and Abstracts pdf]
19 (27–28 June 2016) Carey Baptist College, Auckland
18 (7–8 December 2015) Laidlaw College, Auckland [Conference Programme pdf]
17 (8–9 December 2014) University of Otago, Dunedin [Conference Programme pdf]
16 (1–2 July 2013) Laidlaw College, Auckland
15 (10–11 December 2012) Laidlaw College, Auckland [Conference Programme pdf]
14 (5–6 December 2011) Laidlaw College, Christchurch [Conference Programme pdf]
13 (6–7 December 2010) Good Shepherd College, Auckland [Conference Programme pdf]
12 (7–8 December 2009) University of Otago, Dunedin [Conference Programme pdf]
11 (6–11 July 2008) University of Auckland, Auckland (in conjunction with the International SBL Annual Meeting)
10 (3–4 December 2007) Bible College of New Zealand, Auckland [Conference Programme pdf]
9 (7–8 December 2006) Knox Church, Christchurch [Conference Programme pdf]
8 (14–15 November 2005) University of Otago, Dunedin [Conference Programme and Abstracts pdf]
7 (15–17 July 2004) Carey Baptist College, Auckland
6 (17–18 November 2003) Good Shepherd College, Ponsonby, Auckland [Conference Programme pdf]
5 (18–19 November 2002) Knox College, Dunedin [Conference Programme pdf]
4 (3–4 December 2001) Carey Baptist College, Auckland [Conference Programme pdf]
3 (30 November – 1 December 2000) Bible College of New Zealand, Auckland [Conference Programme pdf]
2 (2–3 December 1999) Knox College, Dunedin [Conference Programme pdf]
1 (29–31 October 1998) St John’s College, Auckland [Conference Programme pdf]