Upcoming Aotearoa New Zealand activities and events
On this page
Louis Barnett Prize
Trainees and younger Fellows involved in advanced surgical academic research have the chance once again this year to have their hard mahi recognised.
This prestigious award, valued at $2,500, was established in 1962 and commemorates Sir Louis Barnett, a pioneer of research into hydatid disease and the first New Zealand president of RACS.
Finalists will be invited to present at a standalone online event on Thursday 19 September from 7pm.
Don't miss the chance to raise awareness of your research and have your work recognised by your peers.
View last year's Louis Barnett Prize winning abstract (DOCX 158.19KB).
Are you eligible?
The intention of the Louis Barnett Prize is for it to benefit Kiwi surgeon researchers in the early stages of their career.
As such, to be eligible you need to be a Trainee or within the first five years of your Fellowship as of 19 September 2024, AND:
- a citizen of Aotearoa New Zealand, OR
- have permanent resident status for Aotearoa New Zealand.
The research may have been done either within or outside Aotearoa New Zealand; within or outside a Department of Surgery; and before or after commencement of surgical training.
Only one abstract will be accepted per submitter.
Instructions for entry
Submissions close Thursday 27 June 2024.
Before sending in your abstract, please make sure you have read and understood the eligibility criteria, the details on submitting abstracts, and the judging information.
Send your abstract to: college.nz@surgeons.org.
Good luck!
RACS Aotearoa New Zealand - 2023 highlights
It's been a busy year for the RACS team in Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ) and for the AoNZ National Committee. We've achieved a lot and we wanted to share our highlights with you. We hope you can spare three minutes to watch our video (MP4 47.37MB) and learn more about the team and what we got up to in 2023.
Briefing to the Minister of Health 2023
RACS in Aotearoa New Zealand (AoNZ) has developed an overview of surgical services for the incoming government, highlighting the main issues and detailing how the College can help provide workable solutions. The briefing paper focuses on five key themes: health reforms, workforce, planned care, equity and environment. Key takeouts include:
- Aotearoa New Zealand has fewer surgeons per capita than Australia and a strong reliance on overseas-trained surgeons.
- Waitlists continue to grow across the motu (country) widening the health inequity between those who can afford private health insurance and those who cannot.
- The surgical workforce is becoming more diverse, with growing numbers of Māori and women surgeons; an important element in improving health equity.
- RACS supports the goals of the health reforms – to provide a fairer, more robust and accessible healthcare system - but would like to see government also focus on the environmental consequences of health services.
Read the full briefing paper (PDF 2.64MB).