FurcoNZ - F.A.Q

What is "FurcoNZ"?

FurcoNZ is the annual campout/gathering of the New Zealand furry community, for all things that are "furry" (or, the appreciation of anthropomorphic arts and crafts), that is typically held at the end of Spring/start of Summer each year (end of November/start of December).
Unlike most other furry conventions/gatherings that are held overseas, us Kiwis like to keep things simple and informal. Also, we like to enjoy the clean, green New Zealand outdoors and a lot of activities and events reflect this fact. For FurcoNZ 2009 and 2010 we arranged and offered activities such as archery, abseiling, kayaking and hiking for our participants.
For the less outdoor keen types, we also have an A/V room setup with multiple consoles and a projector for media viewing, indoor activities such as boardgaming sessions, so there is something for everyone to enjoy while at FurcoNZ.
Please visit the gallery for photos from our past events and to get an idea of what goes on during FurcoNZ.

Where is FurcoNZ being held this year (2011)?

This year FurcoNZ will be held at Kokako Lodge, located at the foothills of the Hunua Ranges. The full address of the lodge/site is:
235 Falls Road, Hunua, R.D.3, Papakura, Auckland, New Zealand
It is roughly:
50km from downtown Auckland
40km from Auckland International Airport
100km from Hamilton

At this stage, we are expecting that this will be the last year FurcoNZ is held at Kokako Lodge. A new site/venue are currenly being looked at for FurcoNZ 2012 and beyond.

When will it be held this year (2011)?

It will be held on 9th -12th December, 2011 - over a weekend from Friday till Monday.

Please note that the previous group booked at the lodge/site won't clear out until mid/late afternoon on Friday, and we have been advised not to head in until early evening time (from 6:00pm onwards).
The opening ceremony/welcoming is currently scheduled after dinner is served (approximately 8:00pm) on Friday. This will also give the opportunity for those who will be working that day some time to prepare and head in and avoid the evening rush-hour traffic.
We will also have to do a site clean-up and checkout before 12:00pm noon on Monday, thus it would be much appreciated if everyone are packed and ready to go by 11:00am that morning.

Regarding Registration

What are the registration types for FurcoNZ 2011?

For this year, we will be offering 3 basic types of registration:
"Full Event" - this covers the entire FurcoNZ: accomodation at Kokako Lodge for the weekend (Friday to Sunday nights), and fully catered meals during the event: dinner for Friday; breakfast, lunch and dinner for Saturday and Sunday; breakfast for Monday (8 main meals).
"Full Event - Sponsor" - this covers the entire FurcoNZ (as per above) + more! Including: first-in-line and extra goodies for meal services (full 3 course dinner served), plus more benefits (preferential treatment to events for example, details to be finalized).
"Day Pass" - this covers entry for Saturday and/or Sunday, from 9:00am till 9:00pm. You will also be served lunch and dinner (2 main meals) for the day(s) that you are staying.
Because the opening ceremony is currently scheduled for Friday, people on "Day Pass" are welcomed to attend for Friday night when the site is open (from 6:00pm onwards), however, please be aware that you will have to leave the site by 9:00pm and that no dinner will be served for you that night.

Who can attend FurcoNZ?

Anyone can attend FurcoNZ, not just people who're involved in the furry fandom, as long as they abide by the rules (Terms/Conditions and Code of Conduct) and fully pay up for this event.

Is there an age limit for FurcoNZ?

For FurcoNZ 2011, we have implemented the following age limits:
For "Full Event" registration (you will be staying at Kokako Lodge for the weekend), you must be 16 years of age or older one day before the start of FurcoNZ 2011 (8th December, 2011).
For "Day-Pass" registration (only attending during the day and not staying at Kokako Lodge), you must be 14 years of age or older one day before the start of FurcoNZ 2011 (8th December, 2011).

FurcoNZ staff have implemented these age limits after reviewing past events and consideration to the laws and regulations, and there will be no exceptions to these rules.

Due to the laws and regulations with the activities and events that will be held at FurcoNZ and the liabilities to the organizers, you must be 18 years of age or older before the start of FurcoNZ 2011 in order to complete the registration form and attend by yourself. We reserve the right to perform an ID check on any participants during FurcoNZ. Valid forms of photo ID include: passport, driver’s license and 18+ card.

If you are over 14 but under 18 years of age at the start of FurcoNZ 2011, a consent form MUST BE completed and we will follow up with contacting your parents or legal guardian to confirm (usually via a phone call).
A copy of the Terms/Conditions and Code of Conduct for FurcoNZ can be downloaded here (in Adobe Acrobat format)
A copy of the consent form for this year's event (2011) can be downloaded here (in Adobe Acrobat format).
Failure to complete the consent form and verified by us before the start of the event will void your registration for FurcoNZ and you will not be welcomed on site, and once again there will be no exception to this rule.

If you have any questions regarding the age limit/restrictions for FurcoNZ 2011 please don't hesitate to contact us.

Is there a capacity limit for this year?

For FurcoNZ 2011, we will be limiting full registrations (those that are staying at the site) to 75 people, as it is a comfortable limit that Kokako Lodge can accomodate.
However, we welcome anyone to register for a "Day-Pass" (those that won't be staying at the site during the weekend) and at this stage there is no set limit for "Day-Pass"es.

Regarding Payment

How much does it cost

For FurcoNZ 2011, the following registration type and costs are as follows:
Full Event, EARLY** (fully paid by 1st November, 2011) - NZ$ 94.00
Full Event, STANDARD** (available until 30th November, 2011) - NZ$ 105.00
Full Event - Sponsor** (available until 25th November, 2011) - NZ$ 145.00
[** With "bank transfer/deposit" discount applied. All other forms of payment incur a $5.00 administrative surcharge]
We will NOT be accepting any on-site (cash) payments for "Full Event" registrations for this year.
1 Day Day-Pass (Saturday or Sunday) - NZ$ 35.00
2 Days Day-Pass (Saturday and Sunday) - NZ$ 70.00

Why does it cost more to pay for my registration using any other methods (apart from direct bank deposit/transfer) such as PayPal and cheques?

Our bank account is with Kiwibank, and they're great in that there are no bank fees/charges for any direct deposits done via online (internet banking), or over the counter (at any Postshop/Kiwibank branch).
PayPal charges a 2-5% fee on any incoming payments depending on the source (e.g. Credit Cards) and there's also a small administration charge associated with transferring the amount to our bank account. With incoming cheques, we have to manually process and head over to the local branch to process the payment, taking up our time. Therefore, while we welcome payments via these methods, we have added on a NZ$5.00 administrative surcharge on top of the registration fee.

What happens if I change my mind, or if due to unforeseen circumstances I can't attend in short notice (i.e. cancellation policy)?

Our official policy is that your registration is fully refundable until early registration ends (1st November, 2011).
Once past that date it will be non-refundable. Therefore, any registration after that date is also non-refundable.
In short, supplies needs to be arranged and bills needs to get paid ahead of time for FurcoNZ to happen, plain and simple.
However, we are somewhat flexible under extraordinary circumstances so, talk to us first and discuss, and see what we can do.

Can someone else or can I pay for someone else's registration?

Absolutely, as long as we get paid in the end, we do not care how you pay for your registration.

I cannot pay in one go, can I make multiple payments/pay in instalments?

While we appreciate it if you can make a simple one-off payment at the time of registration to make for less confusion (and potentially saving arguments later on), we can work with you if you cannot afford the cost in one go. Just contact us after you've filled in the registration form and we'll work something out.
Please note that if you cannot complete payment by the early registration cut-off date (1st November, 2011), you'll need to pay a higher registration fee. Also, the cancellation policy applies and if you should cancel your registration after that date your payment up to that point will be non-refundable.

I am not planning to stay for the whole duration of the event (i.e. arriving 1 day later or leaving 1 night earlier), do I still pay the same price?

Our arrangement with the lodge/site means that there is a minimum cost involved to book the lodge. Also, because this is a fully catered event, it is much easier to arrange and account for logistics/supplies if the numbers does not fluctuate throughout the event.
Hence for this year (2011), we will only be offering "Full Event" or "Day-Pass" registration types. If you want to stay overnight at the lodge/site even for 1 night, you will have to go for "Full Event" registration.

Regarding Activities/Events

What will be the activities and events for FurcoNZ?

We will be offering a wide range of activities to take advantage of that great kiwi outdoors of ours, and for those that are less... in-tune with the adventurous side, indoor events will also be offered as well.
The FurcoNZ 2011 event schedule can be downloaded here (in Adobe Acrobat format) will give you an idea of what to expect for this year's event.

What are the outdoor activities on offer this year (2011)?

Depending on interests from this year's attendees, we will be hopefully be offering a range of the following activities:
Archery - Test your skills with the bow and arrow. This will be held on the range at the lodge site.
High Ropes Course - Push and challenge yourself, and build up confidence on the high ropes course, located just outside the dining hall at the lodge.
Kayaking - Enjoy the beauty of Hunua Falls close up then kayak along the Wairoa river.
These will be run (at this stage) on Saturday, and will cost extra (on-top of the FurcoNZ registration) and places are limited.

When and how can I register for the outdoor activities?

This year we have included outdoor activities as part of the registration process.
If you choose not to register for any of them while registering for FurcoNZ, but changed your mind later on, we can register you for the activity that you want to do if there are still places left.

How much does each outdoor activity cost this year (2011)?

Archery - NZ$10.00
High Ropes Course - NZ$15.00
Kayaking - NZ$20.00

Regarding Catering/Food

So this is a fully catered event, what are included with our meals?

We’ll feed you delicious food whipped up by our kitchen team, and as already mentioned, the cost of your registration includes fully catered meals during your stay, mainly:
Dinner for Friday night; Breakfast, lunch and dinner for Saturday and Sunday; Breakfast for Monday morning (8 main meals in total).

To give you a better idea of what to expect, below are what we offered for FurcoNZ 2009:
Breakfast: Bread and toast with jams and spreads, a variety of cereals and fresh fruits.
Hot cooked breakfast for Sunday: Creamy scrambled eggs "Ramsay style", crispy bacon, hash browns.
Lunch: A variety of sandwiches (chicken and egg salad in creamy dijon dressing, ham and vintage cheddar cheese, tuna salad in aioli), home baked chocolate-chip cookies, variety of snack-sized chip packs, fresh fruits.
Dinner:
Friday Night - creamy bacon mushroom carbonara on fettucini, beef bolognese on penne pasta bake with aged cheddar cheese, mesclan side salad mix, garlic bread rolls.
Saturday Night - Japanese style beef curry, teriyaki chicken, steamed rice, coleslaw in asian style (seaseme, ginger and garlic) dressing.
Sunday Night - whole roasted beef tenderloin (eye fillet), rosemary roasted chicken breast, herb roasted potatoes, steamed broccoli and carrots, mesclun side salad mix, bread rolls.
A veriety of fresh fruits, any extra meals (extra portions after main meal services) and hot drinks (tea/coffee/milo etc.) are available all day.

And what we offered for FurcoNZ 2010:
Breakfast: Bread and toast with jams and spreads, a variety of cereals and fresh fruits.
Hot cooked breakfast for Sunday: Thick cut french toast with banana caramal sauce, crispy bacon, hash browns.
Lunch: A variety of sandwiches (bacon and egg with mayonaisse, ham and sliced swiss cheese, tuna salad in aioli), home baked chocolate-chip cookies, variety of snack-sized chip packs, fresh fruits.
Dinner:
Friday Night - creamy seafood chowder, beef bolognese with fettucini, mesclan side salad mix, garlic bread rolls; variety of ice cream with berry coulis.
Saturday Night - Indian butter chicken curry, Thai green curry with pork and asian vegetables, steamed basmati rice; fruit lime jelly with freshly whipped cream.
Sunday Night - whole roasted beef scotch (ribeye) fillet with red wine jus, whole roasted cured (dill and chili) king salmon fillet with horseradish cream, herb roasted potatoes, steamed pumpkins and carrots, mesclun side salad mix, bread rolls; chocolate mousse with a hint of mint, with freshly whipped cream.
A veriety of fresh fruits, any extra meals (extra portions after main meal services) and hot drinks (tea/coffee/milo etc.) are available all day.

Everything was prepared and made fresh on-site.

We’ll make sure that everyone is accounted for and there’ll be something to suit everyone, even vegeterians.
We’ll not be stocking and serving any snack foods (chips, popcorns, sweets, chocolates etc.) or soft/fizzy/energy drinks so feel free to bring some with you if those cravings needs to be satisfied.
Please see the below for our policy on the consumption of alcohol.

Regarding Terms & Conditions/Code of Conduct

What is the policy on alcohol?

The alcohol policy for FurcoNZ 2011 being revamped from previous years and is currently under review. More details will be annouced once they have been finalized for this year

However, a general guideline for what the policy is can be found in the Terms/Conditions and Code of Conduct:
- The lodge/site allows the consumption of alcohol, and promotes responsible drinking. However by law we are not allowed to sell any alcohol during the event, so this will be strictly B.Y.O. (Bring Your Own) and R18 only.
- Consumption of alcohol (drinking) are strictly confined to designated areas ONLY. These area(s) will be labelled and pointed out at the beginning and during the event.
- NO alcohol are to be consumed outside of the designated area(s).
- Please also be aware that there will be minors (17 years of age or younger) attending FurcoNZ, and we will not tolerate underage drinking during the event.
If you break the above rules, your alcohol will be confiscated and disposed of immediately, no questions asked.
While we promote responsible drinking, if we found that you are excessively intoxicated (drunk), and cause any problems for our other attendees, we will confiscate and dispose of any alcohol and/or evict you off site immediately.

What is the policy on smoking?

There is no smoking inside the lodge/cabin area, and please use your common sense when smoking outside. Make sure the cigarette/cigar is fully extinguished and disposed of properly, and that it is R18 only.

What is the policy on... "other things"/illegal substances?

We have a ZERO TOLERANCE policy towards any illegal activities/substance classed and listed under New Zealand law. We will make this point clear at the start of the event and you will have also agreed to our rules/code of conduct during your registration process. You will be asked to leave the lodge/site immediately and we reserve the right to contact the appropriate authorities should you ignore this rule. In short, do not let us catch you doing anything that is illegal, period.

can be downloaded here (in Adobe Acrobat format)

Regarding Everything Else

What should I bring/pack to FurcoNZ?

The "What to pack checklist" for this year's (2011) event can be downloaded here (in Adobe Acrobat format), which should give you a list of what to pack.
Some of you might be interested in bringing some "high-value" or fragile items to FurcoNZ, for example your own console system, LCD screens, notebook computers etc.. Please note that we will not be responsible for any damages or loss to them.
The A/V room and all FurcoNZ equipment will be set-up and accounted for so unfortunately we will not accept anyone from plugging in their own equipment into ours.
FurcoNZ is held in the great kiwi outdoors and to promote a weekend away from your usual "technology" to socialize with others. We suggest you leave your usual home comforts behind and enjoy what FurcoNZ, Kokako Lodge and the Hunua Ranges National Park has to offer.

Why should I donate if the registration fee already covers everything?

While the registration fee accounts for the basic accommodation and meals, it does not account for any other optional extras that other conventions and meets generally provide. In short, with your donation we can help make FurcoNZ even more awesome by increasing the quality of the food/catering, providing more and better equipment (such as a better audio system, gaming equipment etc.) and other goodies that we can play around with.
Also, with your support we can keep FurcoNZ running year after year as any amount left over from the previous year's planning can be put towards future events.

What are the contact details for the organizers/staff of FurcoNZ?

You can contact us via the following means:
For any general enquiries: info (at) furconz.org.nz
For any mails/our postal address:
FurcoNZ
P.O.Box 128314
Remerua
Auckland
NEW ZEALAND
1541