Te Hui Nui o te Tai Tonga 2018
The Great Southern
Unconference 2018
A weekend for Canterbury's thinkers, problem solvers, doers and makers.
Mahuru/Whiringa-ā-nuku 2018, Te Matatiki Toi Ora, Ōtautahi
September/October 2018, Arts Centre, Christchurch
What is the Great Southern Unconference?
The Great Southern Unconference (GSUC) was first run in 2016 and involved over 50 participants and volunteers coming together at the University of Canterbury for a weekend of discussion, knowledge-sharing, inspiration and more.
The unconference seeks to promote the interconnectedness of science and technology with the arts, humanities and social sciences.
The GSUC uses the proven 'unconference' format as described below. There's no set agenda—the plan for the weekend is determined on the first night.
An unconference is…
"… peer-to-peer learning at its best and everything a traditional conference isn't—open, informal and creativity focussed."
"… a conference with no formal set agenda, where every attendee is a worthy keynote speaker on their own. All topics of conversation are on the table: from technology to infrastructure, science to arts, politics to education and so much more."
What's happening?
The GSUC will be happening in September/October 2018 from Friday to Saturday, but the exact dates are yet to be determined. It will be held at the UC Arts campus, situated in the Christchurch Arts Centre.
The unconference format lets people pick their own topics for talks and workshops.
From Friday night to Sunday lunchtime attendees:
- run their own sessions on whatever they want during the day
- network in the evening
The schedule is punctuated by prepared lightning talks, a debate, and more.
Who's going?
The unconference is an invite-based unconference. Attendance is free.
We're inviting people from…
Business, politics, the arts, education, local government, academia and the whole community to collaborate.
Selection criteria include:
- A track record of doing interesting and productive things
- A willingness to work with others
- Working across disciplines/silos
The criteria also allows for diversity, past attendance and referrals from past attendees.
2018 Sponsors
The unconference would not be able to run without the support of our sponsors:
Referrals & Registration
Referrals and registration will be available in 2018 closer to the event date.