iPRES 2025 September Newsletter

Yellow kōwhai blossoms adorn the trees near New Zealand Parliament in Wellington.

Kia ora iPRES Enthusiasts!

Message from the Conference Chairs

We can’t believe it’s already September! Normally that would mean that iPRES is upon us, but this year, November is the month of all things digital preservation. There’s still plenty of time to register and prepare for your iPRES adventure down under - or just in the comfort of your own home! Recorded sessions will be available to watch asynchronously during and after the conference, at a time that suits you. 

In Te Ao Māori (the Māori world view), the word ako means both to learn and to teach. This one single word highlights the reciprocal relationship in transferring knowledge - that the teacher and student are both learning and teaching at the same time. Ako speaks to the heart of the iPRES community - all of us have something to give and to learn from each other, whether this is your first iPRES or your 21st.

Introducing our Keynote Speakers

We are delighted to announce our keynote speakers for iPRES 2025 - visionaries and thought leaders shaping the future of digital preservation. Their insights will inspire dialogue and spark new ideas across our global community.

Each keynote has been selected to reflect one of our conference themes - Haerenga (Journey), Tūtaki (Encounter) and Tūhono (Connect) - as well as to bring a balance of perspectives from the global south, global north, and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Haerenga (Journey) - Opening Keynote

We are fortunate to welcome the Honorable Simon Kofe, Minister of Transport, Energy, Communication and Innovation for Tuvalu, who brings a powerful story of adaptation and resilience. Hon. Simon Kofe is a Tuvaluan politician who gained global recognition for his advocacy for Tuvalu’s digital nationhood, using both symbolic and practical strategies to preserve cultural identity in the face of climate change. With Tuvalu facing the prospect of total land loss within the next 50 - 100 years, the nation is digitally recreating its land, archiving its rich history and culture, and transitioning government functions into a digital space. Through Te Ataeao Nei (Future Now) Project, Tuvalu reframes its story - not as an inevitable victim of climate change, but as a nation reclaiming its culture and agency.

Tūtaki (Encounter) - Mid-Conference Keynote

We are thrilled to welcome Rosalyn Metz, Chief Technology Officer at Emory University Libraries and Museum, USA, who will challenge us to think differently. Rosalyn is known for her fearless perspectives on the politics, power, and the sustainability of open infrastructure in the scholarly community. Her career includes roles at Stanford, George Washington, and Wheaton College, as well as industry experience in project management and software training, and leadership in Fedora, Samvera, and APTrust. In her keynote, Rosalyn will examine the role of community and open infrastructure in an age of disruption and eroding democratic structures.

Tūhono (Connect) - Closing Keynote

Our closing keynote will be delivered by Peter-Lucas Jones, a visionary leader at the forefront of Māori language revitalisation through technology and media. He will inspire us with his message about connections, values and intergenerational knowledge.

As CEO of Te Hiku Media, Peter-Lucas has spearheaded the development of cutting-edge te reo Māori natural language processing tools - including speech-to-text, text-to-speech, and indigenous language pronunciation modelling - that are transforming the digital landscape for Indigenous languages. Named to TIME Magazine’s 100 AI list for 2024, his work underscores the global significance of Indigenous language preservation through artificial intelligence. 

We are looking forward to sharing this important kōrero (conversation) with the global iPRES community in Wellington and online. Register now to avoid missing out! 

– Andrea Goethals (Conference Chair); Valerie Love, Jan Hutař, and Martin Gengenbach (Conference Vice-Chairs)

Online agenda now available

In addition to the programme spreadsheet and access PDF, you can now view an online agenda with links to session abstracts and presenter information. We are still finalising a few areas of the programme, so stay tuned for updates. Feel free to get in touch at info@ipres2025.nz with any questions or corrections.

Last minute flight discounts from the US and Canada

Still haven’t booked your flights? Air New Zealand is offering a last-minute discount for iPRES attendees travelling from the US and Canada. Visit the Air Travel page on the conference website for more information.

Monday Workshops and Tutorials 

If you’ve looked at the programme, you’ll see that we have some fabulous tutorials and workshops on offer.  Signups for workshops and tutorials will open in October via the conference registration portal. We’ll send signup details to registered attendees. 

In-person participants can attend any of the workshops and tutorials. Virtual attendees can choose from one workshop and four tutorials

Information for Authors: Poster Sessions

Presenting a poster at iPRES 2025? All poster presenters - whether in person or remote - must submit a digital version of their poster that we will make available online. In-person presenters should also bring a printed copy of their poster to display onsite. Digital posters should be supplied to the iPRES 2025 Dropbox by Monday 13 October, End of Day, Anywhere on Earth. We’ll be contacting poster authors by email with the Dropbox link and  instructions, but in the meantime, you can read more here.

We are currently working on detailed instructions for presenters of other session types, including lightning talks, and will be in touch with authors via email when this information is available. Visit the conference website’s News page for updates. 

Friday Professional Visits 

If you have registered as a conference attendee, you will hopefully have marked your interest(s) in our various professional visit offerings. Thank you all for your enthusiastic responses! With the indicated numbers, we are now working on making more sessions available to accommodate as many participants as we can. Signups for professional visits will open formally in October via the conference registration portal and they will be offered on a first come, first served basis. All instructions will be circulated to registered attendees soon - so stay tuned!

Professional visits are only available for in-person participants and will take place on Friday, 7 November. We are still open to organisations who are keen to arrange virtual professional visits and to work out that vision with us. Please reach out at info@ipres2025.nz

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.

Wellington Inspiration

The kōwhai are blooming and tūī singing in the trees, which means Spring is here in Wellington! The iPRES 2025 Instagram account is chock-full of Stories showcasing our beautiful city and culture, so give it a follow if you’re looking for travel inspiration! The Attendee Experience Committee is currently putting together a list of some of our favourite things to do and places to eat and drink, and putting together options for social dinners, but in the meantime, feel free to check out Neat Places Guide to Wellington and New Zealand Travel Tips’ Wellington Guide for a glimpse of what’s in store.

Sponsor Spotlight

We are thrilled to introduce our Tūī (Platinum) Sponsor for iPRES 2025: the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC)! The Tūī is one of New Zealand’s most iconic birds, known for its beautiful, complex song and iridescent plumage. Tūī represents the harmony between the natural and digital worlds—a symbol of the interconnectedness we aim to preserve in the digital space, and serves as the inspiration behind the iPRES 2025 logo. For many of us, the DPC needs no introduction, but if you’re not already familiar with their work, DPC was established in 2002 as a collaboration between a number of agencies operating in the UK and Ireland for community digital preservation oversight and collaboration. In the decades since, the Digital Preservation Coalition has grown to become a welcoming and inclusive global community, working together to bring about a sustainable future for our digital assets worldwide. The Digital Preservation Coalition has five objectives: Community; Advocacy; Workforce Development; Good Practice; and Accountable, Sustainable and Dynamic Governance. The DPC’s strength is in its members, which can be found across many different sectors, in twenty countries and on six continents. They represent global corporations, national and local memory institutions, higher education and research institutions, broadcasters, strategic investors and funding bodies and professional bodies. 

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.

Stay up to date with iPRES!

Make sure to check out our website for up-to-date conference information, https://www.ipres2025.nz/

If you have been forwarded this email, do subscribe to the iPRES Interest mailing list. Have a read through our previous newsletters on the website, or check out the news section of the website with latest blog posts as well.

You can also follow official iPRES 2025 accounts on social media on LinkedIn, Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, and YouTube, or follow the hashtag, #iPRES2025.

Look out for the October newsletter, which will provide more details on workshops and professional visit signups, tikanga (Māori cultural practices) you can expect to see at iPRES, an introduction to the Care Team, and social activities.

Whakatauki / Māori proverb

Tū ana hei Pouako. Stand as teachers in life.

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