New Zealand International Science Festival – Dunedin – 6-15 July 2018

What

The New Zealand International Science Festival is here with over 230 events, 24 venues and over 20 national and international guests heading to Dunedin to celebrate all things science

“We’re extremely excited to be bringing some of the world’s top experts in a range of fields to Dunedin to take part in this year’s Festival,” says New Zealand International Science Festival Director Dan Hendra. “We’ll be offering Festival goers a diverse, fun-fuelled, inspiring lineup of events – from hands-on workshops for kids and families to talks and seminars aimed at sharing the very latest from the world of science. This is your opportunity to ‘go beyond’, build knowledge and have a whole lot of fun.”

When and Where

6-15 July 2018

Various venues around Dunedin

How Much

Various. Many events are free

More

Main Website
Programme Page

Festival for The Future – Wellington – 27-29 July 2018

What

The Festival is an action-packed weekend of inspiring speakers, future-focused panels, workshops, entertainment and more.

It’s been called NZ’s most inspiring event, has grown year-on-year and attracted more than 1,300 delegates in 2017.

This year the 2018 Festival returns to Wellington. Imagine – Mayor’s, Ministers, CEO’s, creatives, entrepreneurs, future leaders from across the nation – and you. Be challenged. Be inspired. Build your network. Build your ideas and skills. The future is ours to create!

When and Where

Fri 27 Jul 2018, 4pm – 9pm
Sat 28 Jul 2018, 8am – 6pm
Sun 29 Jul 2018, 8am- 5pm

TSB Bank Arena,
Queens Wharf,
Wellington

How Much

Early Bird:

Student – $195+GST
Professional – $295 + GST

Regular:

Student: $245 + GST
Early Bird: $395 + GST

More

Website

ITx 2018 – Wellington – 11-13 July 2018

What

ITx is a collaboration of twelve tech-focused conferences and bodies and focuses on innovation, technology and education.

ITx brings IT professionals, decision-makers, leaders and academics together under one roof. This is a conference like no other: where industry, academia and government come together to network, learn and engage.

  • IT Professionals NZ is New Zealand’s leading body for those working or studying in Software and Information Technology (IT) related fields.
  • The IT Service Management Forum (itSMF) is the only internationally recognised and independent organisation dedicated to IT Service Management.
  • Computer and Information Technology Research and Education New Zealand (CITRENZ) is the representative body for the IT departments of New Zealand’s Polytech and Institute of Technology sector.
  • NZTech is the voice of the New Zealand technology industry.
  • NZRise exists to represent the interests of NZ-owned digital technology businesses.
  • Health informatics is about getting the right information to the right person at the right time.
  • AgileDay is a new Agile software development-focussed day at ITx.
  • The Telecommunications Users Association of New Zealand exists to inform, educate and advocate.
  • InternetNZ’s vision is for a better world through a better Internet
  • TechCommNZ supports, educates, and encourages technical communicators around New Zealand
  • Project Management Institute is the world’s leading not-forprofit professional membership association for the project, program and portfolio management profession.
  • The New Zealand Open Source Society exists to share the freedom of open source software, open standards, and open information for the benefit of New Zealand.
  • ITx 2018 also sees the return of the New Zealand Excellence in IT Awards

There are also MasterClass Workshops on Tuesday the 10th of July.

When and Where

TSB Bank Arena and Shed 6 Complex
4 Queens Wharf, Wellington

Main Conferences:
9am – 6pm
Wednesday 11 July – Friday 13th July 2018

It Awards Gala Dinner
6pm – late
Thursday 12 July

ITx MasterClass Workshops:
1pm – 5pm
Thursday 10 July 2018

How Much

Earlybird Pricing:

Member 3 Days:           $895
Non-Member 3 days:   $1095
ITx MasterClass Workshops: ~$600  (not included in 3 day price)

More

Website

 

New Zealand Bird Conference – Waitangi – 2-4 June 2018

What

 

The 2018 New Zealand Bird Conference and the 79th Annual General Meeting of Birds New Zealand will be held in Paihia Northland during 2-4th June 2018 (Queens Birthday Weekend). We look forward to welcoming you to the sunny Far North for what should be a fantastic weekend of birds and birding.

The conference will comprise two days of scientific papers and workshops,with field trips to local birding highlights on the third day. The AGM will be held on Saturday afternoon.

The conference again aims to continue the fine work of previous conferences in making this the premier New Zealand event for the communication of new research findings on New Zealand birds while providing opportunity for discussion, networking and workshops for bird researchers and birders in New Zealand.

The format of the conference will be similar to the most recent conferences, with the first two days largely being devoted to scientific presentations. A variety of workshops are planned for the Sunday morning.

As in previous years we look forward having a number of local speakers sharing some of the latest research knowledge with you. Alongside this we look forward to bringing together researchers and Society Members from across the country to share their knowledge and findings to make for a dynamic and informative event.

When and Where

 

Copthorne Hotel and Resort Bay of Islands
Tau Henare Drive
PO Box 150
Paihia
Saturday 1 June – All day Conference
Sunday 2 June – All day Conferce
Monday 3 June – Field trips

How Much

Member late registration      $ 165.00
Non-member registration       $ 195.00
Daily registration member     $ 90
Daily Registration non-member $ 140
Dinners                       $ ~50
Field trips                   $ ~50

More

Conference webpage

 

Rotary Book Sale 2018 – Invercargill – 25 to 28 May 2018

What

The Rotary Club of Invercargill annual book sale raises funds that are distributed to selected charitable organisations throughout Southland

With over 30,000 books to choose from – this is a great opportunity to purchase good quality pre-owned books at affordable prices.

There is a vast range of subjects from fiction to technical and sciences, arts and crafts, travel and children and teens books and much more.

There are also DVDs, games, CDs and jigsaws.

When and Where

Civic Theatre – Invercargill,
88 Tay Street, Invercargill,
New Zealand 9810

Dates and hours
8am to 6pm on Friday, 25 May 2018.
9am to 5pm on Saturday, 26 May.
9am to 2pm on Sunday, 27 May.

How Much

Free. Pay for the books you wish to buy.

More

Facebook event or Invercargill City Council
Plenty to choose from at rotary club’s annual book sale. The Southland Times on May 21 2018.

Wordcamp Wellington – Wellington – 23-24 June 2018

What

Join us for a conference that focuses on everything WordPress, with a healthy Aotearoa New Zealand twist.

Over two days on 23-24 June 2018 you’ll get a chance to hear a mix of inspirational, entertaining and useful talks from speakers from around Aotearoa and the world. It’s also a great opportunity to meet your local community.

WordCamps are informal, community-organized events held world-wide that are put together by WordPress users like you. Everyone from casual users to core developers participate, share ideas, and get to know each other.
When and Where

23-24 June 2018

BizDojo Wellington
3 Market Lane
Wellington

How Much

$50

More

Website

Wellycon – Wellington – 2-3 June 2018

What

Wellycon is a tabletop game convention held annually in Wellington, New Zealand.  It is the largest board gaming convention in New Zealand

Since 2008 people have been gathering in the nations capital to enjoy two days of fun board gaming with friends old and new. Growing from an initial group of 20 gamers over 10 years ago, we now welcome over 400 people to the main event each year. People of all ages convene to enjoy learning new games, participating in workshops, play-testing games from designers, challenging friends and newcomers to favourite games and competing in a variety of tournaments…

The event revolves around a library of board games, card-, dice-, tile-based and other games brought along by the attendees e.g. Settlers of Catan, Ticket to ride, mainly in the ‘modern’ board games genres – Eurogames and American-style board games. Participants select a game, find some people who would like to play and a suitable table and go to it. Wellycon volunteers assist those who are new to board games or have difficulty getting enough players together to start a game.  There are tournaments throughout the weekend and a game design competition where small groups create a game using a simple set of components.  In addition there is a section where attendees can try out games which are still under development – Game Designers Corner – and give feedback to the creators.

When and Where

2nd and 3rd June 2018 (Queens Birthday Weekend)
10:00 AM to 10:00 PM

Wellington Girls College
18 Pipitea St, Thorndon
Wellington, 6011 New Zealand

How Much

1 Day – $19
2 Days – $33
Late Night – $15

More

Website
Registration

 

Tauranga Armageddon 2018 – Mt Maunganui – 26-27 May 2018

What

Following its successful debut in 2017, Armageddon Expo returns to Tauranga this May 26th and 27th bringing with it a weekend full of geeky greatness…

Packed with all the latest merch and gaming, cosplay and comic items and featuring an epic lineup of celebrity guests from Arrow, Supergirl, Smallville, Game of Thrones and more Tauranga Armageddon 2018 is going to be epic!

Armageddon Expo has announced a huge lineup of celebrity guests from the worlds of television, film and animation including; Supergirl’s, Katie McGrath, Lesley-Ann Brandt and Lauren German the leading ladies of Lucifer, Lois and Clark’s John Shea and Game of Thrones fan favorite Daniel Portman.

David Nykl of Arrow and Stargate Atlantis will be joined by his Arrow co-stars, Paul Blackthorne and Echo Kellum as well as Garrett Wang of Star Trek: Voyager. Animation powerhouses Will Friedle (Batman Beyond, Kim Possible, Boy Meets World) and Brad Swaile (Death Note, Gundam Wing, X-Men Evolution) will also be in attendance with WWE Icon Hacksaw Jim Duggan! Fans will have the chance to get autographs and photos with guests and listen to panels with the stars all weekend long.

Armageddon Expo has something for everyone. With a massive range of exhibitors including local artists and creators, creative Institutions and your favourite gaming and pop culture suppliers such as Mighty Ape, PB Tech and Madman Entertainment who will have all the latest merchandise, tech and collectibles.

When and Where

10am – 5pm
Saturday 26 May
Sunday 27 May

How Much

Adult – $15.00
Early Access Pass – $25
Child (5–12) – $10.00
Family pass (2 adults, up to 3 children) – $40.00
Special passes for $199, $499 and $999

More

Official Website
Facebook Page

Better Rules Hack – Wellington – 19 + 20 May 2018

What

A hackathon with the aim of exploring the ideas and practice of making legislation into machine consumable ‘digital rules’ that can be reused and integrated across domains for the benefit of businesses, individuals and communities. The aim is to understand the feasibility of providing government hosted machine consumable legislation as part of Government as a Platform. We want to understand how well aligned existing standards, languages, and toolsets are for across domain integration, and what the options are for how machine consumable legislation can be presented as authoritative open data. We also want to understand the value of machine consumable legislation to community and industry.

Hackathon participants will be required to build a working demonstrator that benefits their sector or community using digital rules from more than one source, for example, legislation from multiple agencies, or trade agreements, or any other form of rules from more than one source. Teams will need to show the value of digital rules, how they made the digital rules consumable by everyone, and share their lessons learnt.

As background, see the recent work from the Service Innovation Lab on Better Rules for Government.

Please make sure to read the hackthon’s Code of Conduct.

When and Where

Assurity Consulting,
Level 3, 95 Customhouse Quay,
Wellington

Saturday 19th May and Sunday 20th May, 2018
9am – 4pm each day.

How Much

Free. Please register via Eventbrite.

More

More information on the Better Rules Hack page including competitions.
If you have any questions please contact us via email betterrules@legalhackers.nz.

Auckland Writers Festival – Auckland 15-20 May 2018

What

Every year we stage over 200 public events, gathering together 230 of the world’s best writers and thinkers with over 73,000 festival goers, to celebrate the world of books and ideas.

For the past 18 years the Festival has enriched the culture of our city and established itself as a major Australasian festival, characterised not only by the calibre of our guest authors but also by the enthusiasm and engagement of our audience and the warmth and welcome provided by Auckland as our setting.

The Festival brings the very best local and international writers of contemporary fiction and non-fiction, scientists, economists, poets, journalists and public intellectuals together with audiences to explore ideas, share stories and experience brilliant conversations. We celebrate curiosity and a sense of intellectual adventure and our programme is driven by the desire to spark ideas, to get us talking and to give us a time and place to engage with the world.

When and Where

Mainly at the Aotea Centre
50 Mayoral Drive, Auckland CBD

but some events elsewhere

At all times of the day and evening

Schools Programme 15-17 May during the day

How Much

Prices vary

We offer over 30% of our programme to the public as free, un-ticketed events. Admission to Free Events is on a first come, first served basis. Bookings are not taken for these events.

More

Website
Main Programme Schedule
Schools Programme Schedule