Wikipedia:WikiCon Aotearoa/West Coast 2021



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.

Report Back to Wikimedia Foundation
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.

Notes from WikiCon Sessions
The group started a google doc to share notes on the sessions.

Theme and Aims
The theme of this WikiCon was Celebrating Wikipedia 20.

The aims of the WikiCon were to: 20 Sewell St (map)]]share editing experience and tools
 * [[File:Hokitika Library MRD.jpg|thumb|Westland District Library
 * provide training for new and developing editors of Wikimedia Foundation platforms
 * discuss the strategy of the Wikimedia User Group of Aotearoa New Zealand and progress our work towards the 2030 Wikimedia Strategy
 * 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

Venues
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.

Friday 19 March 2021

 * 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.

Saturday 20 March 2021

 * 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.
 * 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:

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 MRD.jpg
 * 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)

Sunday 21 March 2021

 * 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.

Transportation

 * Air New Zealand runs twice-daily flights between Christchurch and Hokitika; recommended flights are bold.
 * Q300 CHC–HKK Friday 19th 16:25, 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.

Accommodation
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.

Good breakfast options

 * Stella Cafe, 84 Revell Street, ☏ +64 3 755 5432. From 08:30 in the weekends.
 * Stumpers Bar & Cafe, 98 Revell Street, ☏ +64 3 755 6154. From 07:00
 * Stone Oven Bakery Cafe, 105 Revell Street, ☏ +64 3 755 8412. 07:00 Sat, 07:30 Sun

Good lunch options

 * The Hokitika Sandwich Company, 83 Revell Street, ☏ +64 3 429 2019. Won New Zealand's best toastie award in 2019.
 * Gatherer Wholefoods & Bar, 51 Sewell Street.
 * Korath Thai Cuisine, 5 Weld Street. ☏ +64 3 264 0118. Newly opened and worth supporting.
 * Kitchen Hokitika NZ, 19 Tancred Street, ☏ +64 3 755 8319.
 * Priya Indian Restaurant, 79 Revell Street, ☏ +64 3 755 7225.

Ice creams

 * Sweet Alice's Fudge Kitchen, 27 Tancred Street, ☏ +64 3 755 5359.

Fish and chips, ranked by quality

 * 1) Porky's Hokitika Townchip, 51 Weld Street, ☏ +64 3 756 8229.
 * 2) Dulcie's Takeaways, 6 Gibson Quay, ☏ +64 3 756 8018.

Pub

 * Pioneer Hotel, 80 Gibson Quay, ☏ +64 3 755 8641. Just behind the Heritage Highway Motel.

And there's a New World supermarket right beside Como House.

Registration and fees
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.
 * Thanks to the generous support of the Wikimedia Foundation and InternetNZ, conference costs have been heavily subsidised.
 * 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, [mailto:mike@rove.wiki let us know] as soon as possible, so somebody on the waitlist can take your place.

Scholarships
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, [mailto:christine.m.richardson@gmail.com 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.

Social Media
The designated hashtag for the WikiCon Aotearoa/West Coast 2021 conference is #WCWC.

Photos required
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.

Articles in Wikipedia

 * Hokitika photos to support article: schools (education section), aerial photo (Whites Aviation collection?), river, transport related
 * Mayor of Hokitika
 * Hokitika Gorge bridges
 * Hokitika Wildfoods Festival
 * The Luminaries and The Luminaries (miniseries) iconic photos related to the book or series?
 * Hokitika Airport terminal building
 * Hokitika River bridges?, mouth of the river
 * Westland High School, Hokitika
 * Westland Milk Products

Hokitika Cemetery
People buried in Hokitika Cemetery who have articles or Wikidata items without photos - cross referenced with Category:Burials at Hokitika Cemetery and Wikidata items that have the property place of burial as Hokitika Cemetery:
 * Agnes Addison
 * John Bevan (politician)
 * Maida Bryant
 * Henry Butland
 * Charlie Douglas
 * James Holmes (politician)
 * Bess Hudson (Elizabeth Mary Hudson)
 * Charles McLean
 * Bert Mercer
 * Henry Michel
 * Pahikore Te Koeti Turanga
 * Ebenezer Teichelmann
 * John White (New Zealand politician)
 * Edward St John Daniel - buried in an unmarked grave, memorial stone in the centre of the graveyard
 * Ebenezer Teichelmann
 * John White (New Zealand politician)
 * Edward St John Daniel - buried in an unmarked grave, memorial stone in the centre of the graveyard
 * Edward St John Daniel - buried in an unmarked grave, memorial stone in the centre of the graveyard

Those who do have photos:
 * Stanley Graham

Victims of Stanley Graham - three are buried in Hokitika, but don't know which ones:


 * Sergeant W Cooper
 * Constable F W Jordan
 * Constable P C Tulloch
 * Constable E M Best
 * G S Ridley - agricultural instructor for the canterbury Education Board
 * Home Guardsmen G G T Hutchison
 * Home Guardsmen R J M Coulson

Photos required for commons
Current categories: Hokitika Historic missing photos (do a Wikidata query):



Other structures missing photos:



Streets in Hokitika:



Outcomes

 * Uploaded images of the Westland Women sculpture in Hokitika to Commons
 * Uploaded File:Westland Pioneer Memorial unveiling 1914.jpg to Commons
 * Uploaded File:James Holmes MLC.jpg to Commons, and added to and James Holmes (politician)
 * Uploaded File:Private Charles McLean.jpg to Commons, and added to and Charles McLean
 * Uploaded File:Bert Mercer 1921 (cropped).jpg to Commons, and added to and Bert Mercer
 * Created and Category:West Coast WikiConference 2021
 * Presentation on How DYK works
 * Expanded article recently created by a participant and nominated it for DYK: Template:Did you know nominations/Noreen Riols


 * Presentation on article alerts
 * Moved Te Rehutai from draft space to main space and expanded; learnt how to italicise an article title and italicised this title


 * Discussion of how to attract and retain new editors (to continue in Sunday's session on User Group strategy)
 * Following morning tea, expansion of Afghan (biscuit)
 * Field trip to Ross resulted in:
 * Expanded article for Ross, New Zealand
 * 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


 * Field trip to Hokitika Cemetery resulted in:
 * New article Hokitika Cemetery
 * Grave images added to Bess Hudson, Ebenezer Teichelmann, Henry Michel, Bert Mercer, John Lazar
 * Added images to Commons of the cemetery; approximately 30 images added