iPRES 2025 October Newsletter
- ipres20254
- 11 minutes ago
- 8 min read
Kia ora iPRES Enthusiasts!
Message from the Conference Chairs
October is here, and we are getting super excited for iPRES next month! This will be our last monthly newsletter sent to the iPRES interest listserv ahead of the conference, with remaining comms going directly to registered attendees. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading and following along on our planning journey!
This year’s iPRES will look a little bit different. As much as possible, we’re trying to avoid single-use products and other items that won’t have further use after the 7th of November. So you won’t see flags or banners with the conference logo this year.
We’re making the conference lanyards by hand, using excess fabric from other projects that otherwise might end up in landfill. There won’t be a designated conference tote bag; however, we encourage you to get creative and bring a bag from previous conferences or events to show off that prized 2015 swag, or get creative and make your own iPRES 2025 tote!
We genuinely love this year’s conference logo with encircling tūī birds as a metaphor for the continuous nature of digital preservation, so we’ve made our logo files and colour palette available in case you want to include them in creative pursuits. As part of the conference awards, we’ll even have a prize for best tote bag!
We know that many of you will be starting your journey to Wellington soon, so we’ve included a bunch of travel info and tips in this month’s newsletter, as well as information about the conference app, tips for presenters, iPRES Radio, and more!
We can’t wait to see you in Wellington and online next month! Do check out the News section of the conference website to stay up to date with news and information.
– Andrea Goethals (Conference Chair); Valerie Love, Jan Hutař, and Martin Gengenbach (Conference Vice-Chairs)
Register now - Spaces are filling fast!
In-person places are filling up quickly, so register now if you are wanting to join us in Wellington in November!
Virtual registrations will continue to be available up until 31 October. These are a great and affordable option to still participate and engage with the global conversation at iPRES this year and gain invaluable insights into digital preservation practices in Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific, and beyond. Held in rotation around the world, this is the first iPRES being held in Aotearoa New Zealand, and only the second ever held in the Southern Hemisphere. We know that you won’t want to miss out! Hybrid sessions will be streamed and recorded in real time, with registered virtual participants able to watch them live or asynchronously at a time that is convenient to you.
Travel to Aotearoa New Zealand
If you are travelling to Aotearoa New Zealand from other parts of the world, we encourage you to read through the Travel Info section of the conference website to ensure that your entry into New Zealand is as smooth as possible.
Everyone travelling into New Zealand must complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD), including New Zealand passport holders. The NZTD asks questions about your travel, including customs, immigration and biosecurity information. It is free, and takes about 10 minutes to complete.
People from certain countries can use the New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) to travel to New Zealand without needing to apply for a visa. You can request an NZeTA using the New Zealand Immigration online web form, or via the app. An NZeTA is usually processed quickly, but can take up to 72 hours.
Make sure to use the official NZeTA website or app from Immigration New Zealand, https://nzeta.immigration.govt.nz/. There are a number of third-party sites that will also provide an NZeTA, but charge significantly higher fees than going through INZ directly.
Most visitors coming to New Zealand must pay an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) of NZD $100. This is paid at the time you request an NZeTA or apply for your visa.
If you are travelling from a country that requires a visa for entry, please apply as soon as possible, as Immigration New Zealand is currently experiencing high volumes of visa requests, so there may be delays in processing.
Customs and Biosecurity
Aotearoa New Zealand has strict requirements for any items that could cause serious damage to New Zealand’s environment and economy. Travellers will need to declare or dispose of biosecurity risk items on arrival in New Zealand. This includes items in both hand luggage and checked bags.
Risk items include many common items like food products (both packaged and fresh), animal products, plant materials, wooden items, alcohol, tobacco products, drugs, and medicines, as well as outdoor and sports equipment that could contain traces of soil.
If you are bringing running shoes, hiking boots, or other outdoor footwear, (which we recommend, as Wellington is a walking/running/hiking destination!) make sure they are clean of dirt and debris. A dish brush with a bit of soap and water is helpful for getting dirt out of shoe or boot tread.
If in doubt, declare it! It may mean you have to wait in a slightly longer line at Customs, but it's much better than facing an instant fine.
Travel around New Zealand
But wait - there is so much more to Aotearoa New Zealand than just Wellington! If you are lucky enough to stay in New Zealand before or after the conference to travel around, our Attendee Experience Committee has made a document just for you! It's a summary of places you might want to consider for your travel itinerary. It’s meant to be a collaborative document that other iPRES attendees can add to with their thoughts and experiences as well!
Information for Presenters
If you are presenting at iPRES 2025 and have not received an email with initial presenter information, please get in touch directly at info@ipres2025.nz and we will resend it to you. We encourage you to check in with any co-presenters to make sure they have received the relevant information for your session as well. More detailed emails with the Dropbox link to submit your presentations are coming soon, so keep an eye out!
We've written a series of posts geared towards authors and presenters of different session types to explain what you need to do ahead of iPRES to get ready for your session, and what to expect as a presenter on the day.
The full blog series can be found under the 'Presenter Info' tag on the News page of the conference website.
Coming soon - the Conference App
To enhance your experience at the iPRES 2025 Conference, we have an Attendee App which will enable you to connect with fellow delegates and remain up to date with the conference programme.
Once downloaded, the app will allow you to view the conference agenda, speakers, exhibitors, venue information and connect with other attendees. The benefits of the mobile app extend far beyond convenience; it offers a personalised event experience.
If you are registered for the conference, you will receive an email with information on how to download and a code to access the Events Air app by Events Air.
Tune in to iPRES Radio!
Whether you're attending iPRES 2025 virtually, or simply curious about the latest in digital preservation, iPRES Radio brings the global conversation straight to your screen. Running daily from 3–7 November, these relaxed, one-hour Zoom sessions are timed for Australasia, Europe/Africa and the Americas, so there is a chance for everyone to participate. Tune in to discuss highlights from Wellington, watch exclusive content, connect with peers and share your own reflections. These sessions are open to everyone to attend - you don’t need to be officially registered for the conference to join in.
Register now to be part of the conversation!
Whether you are new to digital preservation or have been part of the community for a while, we look forward to seeing you there!
Call for Mentors
This year, we are launching a Mentoring Programme, designed to be a lightweight, collegial way for iPRES participants to connect and share expertise. We have had a great response from mentees and now we are looking for additional mentors to match their enthusiasm.
You can sign up for the programme directly when registering for the conference. If you have already registered, email us at info@ipres2025.nz to sign up as a mentor.
Sponsor Spotlight
We are thrilled to introduce our latest set of Sponsors for iPRES 2025! It is a massive undertaking putting on a conference of this scale, and we could not do it without the generous support of our sponsors.
Kea (Gold) Sponsor - The Hosts of iPRES 2024
The hosts of iPRES 2024 - Digital Archives Flanders; Ghent University; Meemoo, Flemish Institute for Archives; and VRT (the public broadcaster of the Flemish community in Belgium). We thank you for an amazing conference last year, and your continued support for this year’s conference!
Kiwi (Silver) Sponsors - The IIPC and DAMsmart
International Internet Preservation Consortium (IIPC) - Since its inception in 2003, collaboration has been at the core of the IIPC. Founded by 12 members, the consortium now comprises libraries, archives, service providers, and other organisations from over 35 countries who have the unique expertise to collect, preserve, and make accessible knowledge from the global web. Web archiving teams demonstrate great resourcefulness and adaptability in undertaking the complex task of archiving the web. IIPC members collaborate on projects, provide training, contribute to events, blog posts, and host the General Assembly and the Web Archiving Conference. These annual events have played a crucial role in cultivating a collaborative, cross-disciplinary, and committed community and resulted in the creation of one of the most extensive collections of resources on web archiving.
DAMsmart is Australia’s leading audiovisual digitisation agency. DAMsmart helps you access, preserve, and rediscover your valuable collections content through film video, and audio digitisation. DAMsmart is an approved audiovisual digitisation services provider to both the Australian National Film and Sound Archive and the National Archives of Australia. DAMsmart’s digitisation platform is designed to be scalable to support collections of any size. Using cutting-edge digital tools to capture and transform the content in a gentle, yet effective, digitisation process, your collection is never at risk. No matter the condition of the physical media brought to us, DAMsmart are here to help you transform it into high-quality digital files to stand the test of time and be enjoyed by generations to come; anywhere, anytime.
Award Sponsor: Best Lightning Talk, and Best Reviewer Awards - Artefactual
Artefactual provides digital access and preservation for a world where cultural memory thrives. We are a Canadian professional services and software development company, and are part of a network of practitioners who care for the world's cultural memory, with a focus on digital access and preservation. We employ a multidisciplinary team with a wide range of technical, archival, and information management expertise. Access to Memory (AtoM) and Archivematica are the two projects for which Artefactual is most well-known. We strive to be the most trusted partner for those who care for the world's cultural memory by building knowledge, networks, and tools and contributing openly to a global community of practice.
Would your organisation like to partner with iPRES 2025? We have a variety of both in-person and virtual sponsorship options. More information about these and other sponsorship opportunities is available on the conference website.
Tuia karakia
For this newsletter, rather than closing with a whakautauki (Māori proverb), we’re closing with a karakia (traditional blessing) that has served as inspiration from the start of our planning for this year’s iPRES conference.
Kia whakarongo ake au ki te tangi a te manu nei a te mātūī Tui! Tuituia! Tuia ki runga, tuia ki raro Tuia ki roto, tuia ki waho Tuia te here tangata Tūturu o whiti Whakamaua kia tina Haumi e, hui e! Tāiki e! I’m drawn to the call of the tūī bird telling us to unite, to bind, to come together as one. To be woven above, to be woven below To be woven within, to be woven without Bind the kinship strands of humanity Permanent, consistent are the fibres of light Draw these matters to a single point and give them substance The wisdom is bound, it collects It is held!
Ngā manaakitanga / With best wishes,
The Wellington Local Organising Committee
Andrea Goethals, Blanche Joslin, Carly Lenz, Cynthia Wu, Dale Cousens, Jan Hutař, Martin Gengenbach, and Valerie Love