FurcoNZ 2009

Where is FurcoNZ being held this year (2009)?

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

When will it be held?

For FurcoNZ 2009, the official dates are:
Friday 27th November, 2009 from 7pm until Monday 30th November, 2009 at 11am.
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.
The opening ceremony/welcoming is currently scheduled for 9pm (after dinner which is going to be served at 8:30pm). 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 12pm noon on Monday, thus it would be much appreciated if everyone are packed and ready to go by 11am that morning.

How much does it cost?

The cost to attend FurcoNZ 2009 is NZ$75.00 if you register and pay by Friday, 6th November 2009. This includes:
Accomodation at Kokako Lodge for 3 nights: Friday, Saturday and Sunday
Fully catered meals during your stay: dinner for Friday night; breakfast, lunch and dinner for Saturday and Sunday; breakfast for Monday (8 main meals).

Can I still register after 6th November, 2009 or on site at the event?

You can still register after the above deadline and up until the first day of the event, however, it will cost NZ$80.00 to do so.
The reason for this is that since FurcoNZ is a fully catered event held in a remote lodge/site, logistics and supply will need to be sorted out and arranged in advance. We therefore encourage people to register and pay 3 weeks ahead of when it'll begin to make our lives that much easier.

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 this: your registration is fully refundable until 6th November, 2009 in the (highly unlikely) event that you have changed your mind. However, once past that date it will be non-refundable. Therefore, any registration after that date (i.e. if you are paying NZ$80.00) is 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.

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, and it is much easier to arrange and account for logistics/supplies if the number of people remains the same throughout the event.
If you are only attending the event for 1 day/night, we'll offer a discounted price of NZ$50.00. You'll need to contact us after you've completed the registration form to inform us so we'll take that into account.

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 6th November, 2009, you'll need to pay NZ$80.00 total. 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.

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 administrative surcharge on top of the registration fee.

Who can attend, and is there an age limit?

Anyone can attend FurcoNZ, not just people who're involved in the furry fandom, as long as they abide by the rules (terms and conditions) and fully pay up for this event.
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 26th November, 2009 in order to complete the registration form and attend. 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 under 18 years of age, a consent form MUST BE completed and we will follow up with contacting your parents or legal guardian to confirm. If you have any questions regarding this please contact us and we'll explain it to you in more detail.

Is there a capacity limit for this year?

Kokako Lodge was chosen because of its capacity to accommodate up to 85 people. While we'd love to fill it up to capacity we do not foresee that it will happen this year. However we might be surprised so, get in line and register sooner rather than later!

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
We aim to have at least the following for our meals:
Breakfast: Bread and toasts, with a variety of cereals and fresh fruit, and hopefully a fully cooked hot breakfast (budget pending)
Lunch: Sandwiches and filled rolls with fresh fruit and baked goods (cakes, cookies, muffins etc.)
Dinner: Hopefully a good variety between pasta bakes, or chunky sauces/curries on pasta/rice, roasts with vegetables, along with dessert.
Ultimately the quality of the food will depend on what our budget is like, how much donation we'll get and the number of people that have registered.
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.

What is the policy on alcohol, smoking, and "other things"?

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.
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.
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.

Why does this year's FurcoNZ costs more than 2007 (Huia) or 2008 (Pohangina)?

This will mainly be a question for those who have attended previous FurcoNZ.
In short, things costs more since then due to a thing called inflation. Also, we've had very generous people donating to make the 2007 meet "free" for all. However this had not been the case for 2008 and a few unforeseen bills/charges that have been incurred afterwards made us budget much more conservatively for this year's event.
At the end of the day, NZ$75.00 for a 3 day (or NZ$25.00/day, if you pay before 6th November, 2009) fully-catered event is extremely good value for money for a weekend of fun and hanging out!

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.