Prospective candidates will have until March 1st 2012 to file the documents required to have one’s name placed in nomination and added to the ballot. The ballots will be published and distributed in early March, and voting will run from  March 12-April 9th.

Candidates should file the following documents:
• A brief letter stating one’s intent to run for FFANZ 2012.
• A nominator and a seconder, preferably a nominator from Australia and a seconder from New Zealand.
• A 100 word or less platform statement specifying the candidate’s reasons for running and qualifications for becoming the 2012 FFANZ delegate.

The duties of the winning candidate will be as follows:
• Travel to New Zealand and attend unCONventional, the 33rd New Zealand Natcon, in Auckland from 1-4 June 2012 .
• Visit and get to know as many New Zealand Science Fiction fans as time will permit.
• Become the Australian FFANZ administrator until a replacement administrator is found, normally this happens when the administrator role is handed over to the succeeding eastbound delegate (in 2014 if a race is run every year).
• Raise funds and maintain an account to be used by the next eastbound delegate(s) in 2012.
• Promote connections between Australian and New Zealand fandom by a trip report or other means.

If you are interested, please contact David Cake who is the current Australian FFANZ administrator.

Please feel free to distribute this message to your fannish networks.

Hope those who were interested are able to go.

Jan Butterworth

Secretary/Press Officer

SFFANZ

Rememebr that this is a work in progress at the moment. Once they have all the wrinkles ironed out it will be available at the URL of their existing site (artybees.co.nz).

Denise Mina was chosen by Stieg Larsson’s literary estate to adapt his blockbuster The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy into six graphic novels. Kelly Link and her husband Gavin J. Grant, run Small Beer Press and publish the zine Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet. Robert Shearman is a British writer best known for bringing the Daleks back to the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who. New Zealand comic artist Dylan Horrocks chairs.

WHEN: 14 March 3.30pm

WHERE: Embassy Theatre

TICKETS: GA$18

DURATION: 1 hr

Book via Ticketek : In person at Ticketek outlets, online, by the phone 0800 842 538

Note there are $10 student tickets available – to be booked in person, showing student ID, from the MFC, St James and Embassy Theatre Ticketek outlets

For more info see www.nzfestival.co.nz

So extending the deadline to Thursday at 4pm.  If you want to take advantage of this offer, email me at secretary@sffanz.sf.org.nz

Jan

SFFANZ have organized discounted tickets to the How To Train Your Dragon stage show.

Tickets are $54.90 for adults, children up to 12 $44.90.

How To Train Your Dragon is at Vector Arena 18^th – 22^nd April at 7pm.

This offer is only for weekday performances – Wednesday 18^th April or Thursday 9^th April.

To take advantage of this price we need a minimum of 20 people.

To take advantage of the offer please email me by this Thursday at 4pm.

State which day(s) you can attend.

Jan Butterworth

Secretary/Press Officer

SFFANZ

WHEN: 12 March 5pm

WHERE: Embassy Theatre

TICKETS: GA$18

DURATION: 1 hr 15

Book via Ticketek : In person at Ticketek outlets, online, by the phone 0800 842 538

Note there are $10 student tickets available – to be booked in person, showing student ID, from the MFC, St James and Embassy Theatre Ticketek outlets.

In 2005 multi award-winning fantasy writer Robert Shearman famously returnedthe Dalek to Doctor Who in an episode viewed by 8.6 million people. As well as screenwriting, Shearman writes plays, audio dramas and short stories. His first collection of stories, Tiny Deaths, won a World Fantasy Award and his Love Songs for the Shy and Cynical, won the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection.

For more info see www.nzfestival.co.nz

ASB Stadium, Kohimarama, Auckland, New Zealand

Come along and attend Battlecry, Auckland’s largest all-round weekend gaming convention. On hand will be all manner of roleplaying, wargaming, cardgaming, and live-action tournaments and events, as well as a collection of stalls and displays of gaming materials. We welcome all comers, from experienced gamers to those of you out there that are merely curious as to what it is all about.

Entry into the venue is free, and we will have a number of likewise free events and demonstration games to keep you entertained during your time at Battlecry. If you are however interested in taking part in one or more of the tournaments being held over the weekend, there is a cost and we encourage you to pre-register and pay as early as possible to ensure a place, with prizes on hand for all such tournaments.

Folk looking for genre related items may be interested in the following events:
Kelly Link – Fantasy & Magic Realism
Robert Shearman – Doctor Who & The Daleks
Kelly Link, Denise Mina and Robert Shearman – Comics, Fantasy & Popular Culture
Margaret Mahy A Magical, Wacky, Whimsical World

Tickets are $54.90 for adults, children up to 12 $44.90.

How To Train Your Dragon is at Vector Arena 18^th – 22^nd April.

This offer is only for weekday performances – Wednesday 18^th April or Thursday 9^th April.

To take advantage of this price we need a minimum of 20 people.

To take advantage of the offer please email me by this Monday 4pm at secretary@sffanz.sf.org.nz.  State which day(s) you can attend.

Jan Butterworth

Secretary/Press Officer SFFANZ

secretary@sffanz.sf.org.nz

Being involved in running a convention is the best way to become more involved in SF fandom and incidentally can be very satisfying and fun experience. Responsibilities are divided and shouldn’t be too onerous of your time and energy. If you have plans to do your own convention running, taking a role is also the best way to learn the ropes.

unCONventional is the 33rd New Zealand national Science Fiction and Fantasy convention which will be held in Auckland during Queen’s Birthday weekend 2012.

• Main Meeting – 11th Jan, 7.30pm. Join Phoenix for their traditional “meet in the pub” january meeting where we take the opportunity to socialise in a surrounding designed for the purpose. Venue: The Thistle Inn, 3 Mulgrave St, Thorndon, Central Wellington
• Video – 13th Jan, 7.30pm – Tawa
• Biblio – 16th Jan, 5.30pm – Discussion group for readers – D4, Featherston Street
• Writers – 21st Jan, 1.30pm – Local support group for aspiring genre writers – Johnsonville
• Board Gaming – 21st Jan, 6.30pm – Kelson
• PIG – 28th Jan, 7.30pm – Social gathering at which food & drink are partaken of – Upper Hutt

Note that some events are held at the homes of Phoenix members. For privacy reasons, these are not shown in full here. Visitors are always very welcome, so if you wish to attend these events or simply find out more about Phoenix, please email enquiries@phoenix.sf.org.nz.

The Hotel is located just 5 minutes drive from the Auckland CBD and walking distance from Eden Park, MOTAT, Western Springs, Auckland Zoo & the popular cafes of Ponsonby Road.

For more details, take a look at our Venue page or visit the hotel website at www.thesurreyhotel.co.nz.

UnCONventional is the 33rd New Zealand national Science Fiction and Fantasy convention which will be held in Auckland during Queen’s Birthday weekend 2012 (i.e. Friday 1st June until Monday 4th June 2012)

Now we need participants to make sure that they all happen. If the idea of being at the helm of or just helping out with any item takes your fancy, or if there’s something else you want to run, please let the ConCom know ASAP!

We are throwing this call out to everybody in an effort to be as inclusive as possible – anybody who wants to participate should be given the opportunity. Please take a look at what we want to run and see what takes your fancy. You don’t have to be an expert, just interested in a subject and be prepared to talk about it. Remember that you won’t be alone up there – panels, like the convention as a whole, are a cooperative endeavour. Even if you don’t have a specific panel in mind, but would like to have a go, drop us a line – we can find something that matches your interests.

Do you have something else you would like to run? We still have slots in the timetable for more items, so we would love to hear from you. But please let us know soon as we have a bunch of readings, signings, kaffeeklatches and gaming yet to be added.

You can contact us at enquiries@unconventional.sf.org.nz or by using our volunteer form.

A detailed nomination FAQ can be found here.

The award rules and criteria can be found here.

Please send your nominations by email to sjv_awards@sffanz.sf.org.nz
or by post to:
SJV Awards
P.O. Box 13-574,
Johnsonville,
Wellington

Voting for the awards will take place at the 2012 National SF Convention unCONventional