Expo 2026

The NZ Bonsai Expo 2026 is hosted by the Wellington Bonsai Club under the theme From Raw to Refined, following trees from early development through to exhibition. It is open to everyone, whether you have been refining trees for years or have never repotted anything.

Alongside the demonstrations there are displays of bonsai, suiseki, kusamono and accent plants, a vendor area, and cash prizes for Best Tree in Show, Best Shohin Display and Best Suiseki Display. A bonsai ceramic display and competition runs for the first time this year. The New Zealand Bonsai Association holds its national competitions and its AGM over the same weekend.

Demonstrators

The headline demonstrator is Jonas Dupuich from the United States, who studied for two decades under Boon Manakitivipart, founded the Bay Island Bonsai club and writes the long running Bonsai Tonight blog. He works through raw material, first stage development and refinement across the weekend, and closes with a session on preparing trees for exhibition.

New Zealand demonstrators are Martin Walters on making slabs for planting, Steven Yin on slab planting, Matt Hutson on reworking legacy trees, Adrian Bird on pushing traditional design, and Sandra Quintal with public demonstrations using native species.

Programme at a glance

Friday 9 October

• Registrations open from 4:00pm
• Welcome function 5:30pm to 8:00pm, with early access to the display and vendor area from 6:30pm for those attending

Saturday 10 October

• Exhibition, displays and vendors open to registrants and the public from 9:00am
• Jonas Dupuich on raw material in the morning, first stage development in the afternoon
• Martin Walters on slab making, Steven Yin on slab planting, Matt Hutson on legacy trees
• Public native bonsai demonstrations with Sandra Quintal at 10:30am and 2:00pm
• NZBA AGM at 5:00pm, followed by the dinner and awards function from 6:30pm

Sunday 11 October

• Exhibition open 9:00am to 2:45pm
• Jonas Dupuich on refining bonsai, then a session on pots, stands and accents with a critique of selected displays
• Martin Walters part two, and Adrian Bird on pushing boundaries
• Auctions and close from 2:45pm

Monday 12 and Tuesday 13 October

• Workshops with Jonas Dupuich at the Wellington Bonsai Club rooms, Philip Evans Reserve, Lower Hutt
• Two sessions daily, 9:00am to noon and 1:00pm to 4:00pm

Tickets and registration

Registration options run from a single day pass through to full registration including catering, plus separate tickets for the welcome function, the dinner and awards evening, and the workshops. Workshop places are limited to six people per half day session and you bring your own tree, wire and tools. The welcome function and dinner are each capped at eighty people.

Getting there and staying

The Sebel is roughly 300 metres from the venue and has a discounted rate for Expo attendees using the code BGPG at booking. Other accommodation options, venue maps and parking information are on the visitor information page of the official site.

This is a summary. The official Expo site is the authoritative source for the programme, registration, vendors and display entries, and should be checked for any changes.