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Events

Events on the Horizon

The following is a list of events coming up. Listed in Date order.

• KiwiHack - Friday 9th to Saturday 10th Oct
  This is a 24hr hackathon at Manukau Institute of Technology. We will have two teams going down to make something random and interesting
  It’s a chance to make a prototype of some crazy idea at speed. It’s teamwork in a pressure cooker with the clock ticking.
  24 hours will go by Very Very fast.
  [Here is a link to more info }(https://nova.kiwihacks.org/auckland)
  

COME AND GONE

• Brew a Beer, Distill a Gin, and make a Cheese Day - Sunday 20th Sept
  Being an Adult is tricky - but this day is not. Join us in the lab to taste and learn and chat!!
  
  
  

• MINECRAFT GAME DAY - Sunday 16th Aug
  Join us for a day of Minecraft mayhem in the Labs!!
  This a wildly social day of playing Minecraft with friends is completely unnecessary fun!
  Here is the sign up form
  
  

• KiwiJam - 24-26 July
  A 48hr game making event for physical as well as digital games. We will be taking a group down to Auckland University to compete against the professionals and Uni Students in this fast and frenzied game making. This will be an epic weekend.
  
  
  

• NZ 48-hour Short Film Competition - Friday 31st July to Sunday 2nd Aug
  We will be entering a team (at least one) in the 48Hours competition.
  It is one FULL weekend challenge where we create a script, film, edit and collapse. Along the way there is drama, disaster and cool things that happen. The timeline is tight and it is always a race to get it submitted by Sunday afternoon. This is VERY worthwhile getting involved. It is ok not knowing how you might contribute - there are so many things that need to happen - writing, making props, creating lighting, music and sound effects through to the things you could expect like acting, camera work and editing.
  Do it.
  
  
  

• Parents Evening - Thursday 17th May 6pm-7:30pm
  This is a chance to hear about/think about AI, Education and future work.
  The building will be open after 5pm. Feel free to come and chat while you wait, but we will start at 6pm.
  There is no sign-up for this - just come along.
  
  

• MINECRAFT GAME DAY - Sunday 3rd May
  Join us for a day of Minecraft mayhem in the Labs!!
  This social day of playing Minecraft with friends is completely unnecessary fun!
  
  
  

• NGenious Game Jam - 27-29th Sept
  A Weekend Game Making Event. This for physical as well as digital games. Based at the NGEN Room 187 Lower Dent St. Fast and frenzied game making - it is amazing what can be achieved by teams in a weekend.
  
  
  

• KiwiJam - 19-21 July
  A 48hr game making event. This for physical as well as digital games. There will be a Whangarei site (in the Labs) this year so we will be able to have younger people involved.
  
  
  

• Sandbox Fandom Festival Saturday 27th July, Forum North
  A Northland celebration of everything geek. Arts, Technology, Games, Cosplay, Comics, Music and more. All things pop culture. More info here
  
  

• Terrible Ideas Hackathon Aug 2nd - 4th (Friday evening then Sat/Sun)
  This is a 46hr creative and messy innovation challenge. It’s about inventiveness, silliness and cleverness. And excessive use of duct tape and hot glue. Start dreaming up GREAT terrible ideas now. A little more info here
  
  
  

• 48hours NZ Short Film Competition - 17-19th Aug
  YES, we entered again this year. With 48 hours to script/film/edit and submit - this years crazy fast film making was completed with 120 seconds to spare (phew!). The film was a TicTok style poke at information bubbles and misinformation, with this one being about two extremely unlikely lovers on the run
  
  
  

• Goodbye to our Senior Lab Humanoids Feb 2nd week
  This is formal goodbye to our older members who are heading off to Uni and other places.
  
  

• Artbeat Whangarei Feb 24th - Town Basin
  We plan on having a table for pulling pulling apart (recycling) technology and using the electronic junk to make creative interesting items
  More info to come - Here is the website
  
  

• Terrible Ideas Hackathon Dec 9th and 10th (Friday evening then Sat/Sun)
  This Northland High School TWO DAY team challenge. This is a post exam’s innovation challenge. It’s about creativity, inventiveness, silliness and cleverness. And excessive use of duct tape and hot glue. Start dreaming up great terrible ideas now. More info here.
  
  
  

• MARS - Mission Control Friday 6rh 12:45 - 2:30pm
  The Labs have secured a showing of Mission Control MARS and a Q&A just for us! Join us for this interactive high-stake mission. Only $5. Details here
  
  

• Sandbox Fandom Festival Saturday 23rd Sept, Forum North
  A Northland celebration of everything geek. Arts, Technology, Games, Cosplay, Comics, Music and more. All things pop culture. More info and tickets here
  
  

• Climate Action Film Competition - Deadline 8th July This is about creating a five to seven-minute film that shares a story of people working to adapt to, or mitigate climate change. This can be started now. 8th July is the deadline.
  More info here
  
  

• Govhack - 18—20 August GovHack is an annual open government data competition held all over Australia and New Zealand. Last year our team won several prizes (cash and a trip to Melbourne red carpet awards). What will happen this year?
  https://govhack.org/
  
  

• Space for Planet Earth Challenge - 31 August
  This is the deadline for submitting initial proposals of what you might do. After this there is support to help you with creating a full project idea for presenting early next year. Serious prizes.
  https://spacebase.co/challenges/space-challenge-2023/
  
  

• Bush Walk - Sunday 18th of June
  Add your name to this form if you are interested in joining us for a bush walk where the goal is learning about our native bush and seeing what we can discover. We won’t be going far but it will be slow as there is a lot to talk about. Through the bush near wetlands, along a stream up and for the more adventurous, up a valley to a ridge and then to a big view up the coast. Back down through farmland to the barn where we started. Afternoon tea at the top or back at the barn. If time we will head to a close beach for more looking and talking
  Bush Walk “I am coming” form
  
  

• SpaceBase Visit May 25th (Thursday 5:30pm)
  This will be a talk about NZ’s Space Industry (the sort of jobs you could get into) as well as climate change. Importantly they will be talking to us about the Space for Planet Earth Challenge 2023 This challenge is about using satellite data, in combination with other data sources to identify locations of methane emissions on Earth. There is a category in this challenge for high school aged teams (along with University teams and professional teams). Spacebase.co
  
  

• Armageddon Expo - 3/4/5 of June
  Lets again go down to this event as a swarm. Armageddon is a weird and interesting cultural experience. It is also an opportunity to dress up in cosplay. It is a long weekend and we will probably go down on Sunday - but plans are still to be made. We can either hire a bus (worked well last time) or as a collection of parents with cars.
  
  
  

• Fire Frenzy Night - Friday 9th June 5:30-8pm
  Instead of running our Friday night group at the Labs, we will be visiting Fire Frenzy, a fire arts performance group, and everyone is invited to have a go (or simply watch, that is okay too). Younger Coding & Game Making Group: If you aren’t planning to join us for Fire Frenzy, please make sure pick up happens by 5.30pm or earlier. We will meet at the Labs in Tikipunga and share transport to the BMX track in Whangarei - or you can join us directly at the Whangarei BMX Track:. Everyone is welcome to join us. All ages & abilities. Free to come and watch.
  If you want to try fire spinning, bring $5 in cash. Please wear cotton or wool clothing!
  
  
  

• BIOS creative innovation lab Sunday 11th June, 11am
  This is a visit to the Whangarei Art Museum which has “BIOS: an art, biology and technology innovation lab produced by Northland creative studio AwhiWorld with ThoTho”. BIOS is a creative innovation lab set up to foster exploration and research at the intersection of art and technology and comprises various learning and experimentation zones, including areas dedicated to bio-matter experiments, mini-installations utilising 3D projection, and displays showcasing future fibre experiments.
  Everyone is welcome to join us. Children under 11, please bring a grown-up. Meet: Whangarei Art Museum Main Entrance (@Town Basin)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• RPG Paper Maker Guides
  CLICK HERE.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Computer Science Day Notes
  CLICK HERE.