Christchurch author and journalist Paul Gorman was supposed to speak in Dunedin yesterday about crisis communication after a natural disaster.
But his appearance at the first day of the Science Communicators Association of New Zealand conference was put off after the devastating North Canterbury earthquake, an organiser said.
Mr Gorman still intends to make the trip, and his talk might be slotted in today.
He had been scheduled to discuss his book, Whose Fault?, in conversation with Science Media Centre founder Peter Griffin. The book is about Mr Gorman's experience after the Christchurch earthquakes as a journalist liaising with scientists.
University of Otago science communication lecturer Fabien Medvecky said Mr Griffin held the discussion at the scheduled time yesterday anyway, and it was tailored to the North Canterbury earthquake.
Geonet staff, who were attending the conference, took part, he said.
About a dozen of the 130 conference delegates had been unable to attend yesterday because of the earthquake.
The conference finishes tomorrow.
