West Coast WikiCon was New Zealand's first Wikimedia conference, held in Hokitika on the weekend of 20 to 21 March 2021. The conference was organised by a sub committee of the Wikimedia User Group of Aotearoa New Zealand. Check out the User Group page for more information.
Wikimedia Foundation provided the organising group funding to support this WikiCon. We agreed to report back to Wikimedia Foundation about how the event went. The report has been submitted. The draft report page.
increase the profile of the Wikimedia Movement in New Zealand
increase the diversity of the editing community into under-represented demographics e.g. rural residents, non-Pakeha people, women
create content to fill knowledge gaps e.g. undocumented areas of significance in the West Coast of New Zealand, endangered species of New Zealand, New Zealand women
commemorate and celebrate the 20th anniversary of Wikipedia
Presentations were held at the boardroom of the first floor, Como House, 51 Tancred Street, and workshops at the Digital Learning Centre of the Westland District Library, 20 Sewell St. Both venues have a projector or TV and seating for 20.
Attendees arrive: we will pick people up from the airport. The Heritage Highway Motel is allowing early check-ins. Feel free to hang out at the Westland District Library, 20 Sewell St, and use the free WiFi and the History Room.
18:30: Welcome dinner at Gatherer Wholefoods, 51 Sewell Street (map) – note the restaurant is not very obvious from the street!. The vegetarian/vegan dinner is free for registered attendees, and $30 for their guests. We will have a single long table with sharing plates – a great opportunity to get to know newcomers.
09:00: organised presentations/discussion at Como House; morning tea provided. The first activity will be organising the schedule for the weekend. If you have topics you would like to present or hear about, leave your offers or suggestions on the Talk page. Feel free to bring along an idea or offer to host a discussion on the day.
Group celebration of the 20th anniversary of Wikipedia.
Wikipedia 20th Anniversary cake cutting
Attendees break for activities and workshops, organising their own lunch: see eating places below. A group going on the Ross field trip could have lunch at the the pub there
12:00: field trips and activities. Depending on attendees' interests (vote on the Talk page), these could include:
Field trip to Ross
Ross is a former gold-mining settlement 25 minutes south of Hokitika. From 1864 to 1872 it was one of the most productive sites in New Zealand and had over 3000 residents, ten times the size of the current settlement. It has a Goldfield Information and Heritage Centre with museum displays, and there's plenty of information about the local history in the Westland District Library.
Lunch: 12:30 at the Empire Hotel in Ross, which does great pub food I'm told.
A talk on Ross's Chinese history from local historian Biddy Manera
Water Race Walkway (1 hr, 1.6 km loom) which has
miner's cottage
historic Ross cemetery
sluice, pump, and waterwheel
Other historic structures needing photography/Wikidata/possible Wikipedia articles:
Bell tower
Poppet head
De Bakker's Cottage
Catholic church (oldest wooden NZ church with a service? Citation needed)
Empire Hotel
Ross gaol
Former bank (now heritage centre)
Chinese Gardens, the flooding of which has been a recurring news story here on the Coast (1, 2, 3)
Revell Street photography walk, logging businesses and locations in Wikidata to help create an interactive historic map
Nature walk in nearby coastal forest with bush-savvy guides, including nature photography, plant identification, and upload to Commons.
Visit to Hokitika Cemetery, including a tour by Brian Ward (in costume as Ebenezer Teichelmann) who will point out the most significant graves. This can be followed up with a Wikidata/Wikipedia session in the library.Hokitika Beach
18:00 on: An informal dinner at Fat Pipi Pizza, 89 Revell St (map); we can eat outside, and take our pizzas to a driftwood bonfire (weather looks favourable).
Walk to the local glowworm grotto, or check out the live music at the Woodstock Hotel (7 minute drive)
09:00: Strategy session for User Group forward plan for the next year: grants, events, and setting up a two-signatory bank account so funding is easier to maintain.
Morning: Unconference-format presentations/workshops/discussion (both venues: Digital Learning Centre at Westland District Library, and at Como House). These sessions will be organised on the spot, depending on questions raised or topics that came up the previous day. Morning tea provided at Como House.
12:00: Shared lunch at Como House.
Distribution of prizes for best participants / speakers, including 3 memberships to InternetNZ for a year
Afternoon: Discussions and skill sharing sessions (or optional sightseeing); participants can leave any time Sunday afternoon or evening, but there will be a farewell ceremony and prize/award presentation at 4:30 at Como House.
Air New Zealand runs twice-daily flights between Christchurch and Hokitika; recommended flights are bold.
Q300 CHC–HKK Friday 19th16:25, arriving 17:10 ($99 as of Feb) There is also an 08:20 flight if you wanted to spend the day in Hokitika.
Q300 HKK–CHC Sunday 21st 14:15, arriving 14:55, or 17:35, arriving 18:15 ($79 or $119 as of Feb)
Coming from Dunedin, there’s a 13:20 flight with a 2h stopover in Christchurch that arrives at 17:10. Returning, various flights get to Dunedin between 16:55 and 20:20.
There will be at least a couple of cars available so we can arrange pickups from the airport.
The drive from Christchurch to Hokitika is 3h20 and goes through scenic Arthur’s Pass, where you’re virtually guaranteed to see kea if you take a rest stop.
There are plenty of motels and AirBnbs around Hokitika, but we've arranged discounted rates at Heritage Highway Motel, 12 Fitzherbert Street (a 5 minute walk from the venue) Contact Amy or Kent Routhan (03 755 8098, admin@heritagemotel.co.nz) to book, mentioning the West Coast WikiCon.
Rates: $120 for studio (9), $130 for twin (2), $140 for 2 bedroom unit (3). Some of these units can have extra beds added at $21 per night per extra person. There are 14 units in all, but some can house a couple or a family.
Thanks to the generous support of the Wikimedia Foundation and InternetNZ, conference costs have been heavily subsidised.
Participants will be responsible for their own transportation, accommodation, and breakfasts, but Sunday lunch, morning and afternoon teas, beach pizza, and the conference dinners are covered.
The registration fee is $20, and places are limited by the size of the venue to 20. Register here.
Please only register if you're sure you will be attending! If you can't make it, let us know as soon as possible, so somebody on the waitlist can take your place.
We would like to make it possible for anyone to attend this conference, so InternetNZ has generously provided up to two $250 scholarships to help cover flights, transport, accommodation, and/or child care. To apply for a scholarship, email us with a short statement explaining why you would not otherwise be able to attend West Coast WikiCon, and what you most hope to share or learn there. The deadline is the end of February, and decisions will be made March 1st.
Although the date has closed for scholarships we are still keen to support those that may need assistance to attend. Please let us know via the talk page if you need help to attend this conference and the organisers will do their best to support you to attend.
Please remember to document talks, field trips, and conference meals under the category Category:West Coast WikiConference 2021. Also check if people are happy to be in a photo, and if possible let them vet the photo of themselves before it's uploaded to Commons. Don't use people's names or Usernames without seeking approval first.
Added categories and images to Commons of Ross School, Ross War Memorial, Gaol, de Bakker Cottage, Bell Tower, Fire Station, St Patrick's Church, Ross Water Race Walkway, Ross Cemetery, Ross Historic Cemetery and the Chinese Miners' Memorial Garden; approximately 70 images added
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