The lives and death throes of massive stars : proceedings of the 329th Symposium of the International Astronomical Union held in Auckland New Zealand November 28 December 2 2016 Research on massive stars is undergoing a period of rapid progress with long held convictions being shown to be incomplete. While these stars are relatively few in numbers they are the main driver of chemical and dynamical evolution in galaxies through their stellar winds and explosive deaths in core collapse supernovae. Furthermore the impact of massive stars is widely recognized in many areas as they are often used as tools to interpret the conditions and processes arising in different environments. In parallel the development of new instrumentation analysis techniques and dedicated surveys across all possible wavelengths have delivered large amounts of exquisite new data. These data are now providing a harsh test for the current state of the art theoretical calculations of massive star birth evolution and death. Aspects of massive stars discussed include supernovae stellar evolution stellar properties and stellar populations.