What?
The 2023 New Zealand Skeptics Conference.
We’d love to see you at this year’s conference, where we’re planning a jam-packed weekend of talks, entertainment and socialising. Join us and hang out with like-minded people, at the southern most skeptics conference in the world!
When?
On the weekend of the 24th to 26th of November. Our weekend starts with an evening of socialising at a local venue. Then there’s an entire weekend of skeptical talks from knowledgeable, engaging speakers – running from 9am to 5pm on Saturday, and 9am to 4pm on Sunday. And, if you’re not tired after the first day of talks, there will be an opportunity to join other skeptics for a meal at a local on the Saturday evening.
Where?
Our venue for the weekend is the Toitū, Otago Settlers Museum in central Dunedin. A gala dinner will be held on Saturday night at St Margaret’s College. Closer to the event we’ll also announce the details on our Friday evening entertainment.
Who?
We’ve lined up some great speakers to talk to us about a wide range of interesting skeptical topics. Our weekend will be both broad and deep in its coverage of skeptical themes. Keep checking this list as we confirm more speakers and add them over the next few weeks.
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Anke Richter
Anke Richter was born and raised in Germany and immigrated to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2003. She works as a foreign correspondent, columnist and freelance reporter for international and NZ publications like North & South, The Spinoff, NZ Geographic, Canvas and NZ Listener. Her investigation about the disastrous aftermath of Centrepoint was nominated for the…
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Melanie Trecek-King
Melanie Trecek-King is the creator of Thinking Is Power, an online resource that provides engaging and accessible critical thinking content. Trecek-King is an Associate Professor of Biology at Massasoit Community College, where she teaches a general-education science course designed to equip students with empowering critical thinking, information literacy, and science literacy skills. An active speaker…
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Greg Dawes
Greg Dawes gained his first graduate degree at the Pontifical Biblical Institute Rome (1988) before completing PhDs in Biblical Studies (1995) and Philosophy (2007). His earlier work examined the challenges to belief that arose from the historical study of Christian origins. This led him to the study of the relations between science and religion and,…
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Susan Gerbic
Affectionately called the Wikipediatrician, Susan Gerbic is the founder of Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia (GSoW), Monterey County Skeptics and is a self-proclaimed skeptical junkie. A Skeptical Inquirer contributor Gerbic is a fellow of CSI and winner of the James Randi Foundation award for 2017. In 2018, Susan founded and manages About Time a non-profit organization…
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Elise Provis
Elise is a New Zealand-born writer with a passion for science and storytelling. Born in the small town of Tuatapere, Elise then spent her formative years in Muscat, Oman, before returning to her homeland and settling in Invercargill in her teens. After completing a BA in English, and driven by a curiosity and a deep…
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Frank Kueppers
Frank Kueppers is a urology cancer surgeon and director of CURT (Canterbury Urology Research Trust) in Otautahi/Christchurch who immigrated to Aotearoa 20 years ago after a locum on Tokelau in the South Pacific. Before the End-of-Life referendum passed in 2019, he was advocating for the right to a dignified death in the media and on…
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Lynley Hood
Lynley Hood has an MSc in Physiology and a LittD from the University of Otago. Her fourth book “A City Possessed” won the History Award, the Readers Choice Award and the Montana Medal for Non-Fiction at the 2002 NZ Book Awards
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Zafir Ivanov
Zafir has spent most of his life trying to understand belief formation and revision. Recently, he has focused on exploring why many people seem resistant to even the most compelling counterevidence. This pursuit has led Zafir to become familiar with research literature, experiment with difficult conversations, and conduct amateur ethnography. Through his work, Zafir seeks…
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David Hood
David Hood has been involved with the use of open data in the public sphere, and in the last few years has been particularly involved in interpreting open data around covid.
Timetable
Note: Closer to the event we’ll also announce the details on our Friday evening entertainment.
| Saturday | Sunday | |
|---|---|---|
| 08:30 | Doors open | Doors open |
| 09:00 – 10:00 | Susan Gerbic | Zafir Ivanov |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | Morning tea | Morning tea |
| 10:30 – 11:30 | Melanie Trecek-King | Frank Kueppers |
| 11:30 – 12:30 | Lynley Hood | David Hood |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch | Lunch/AGM |
| 13:30 – 14:30 | Anke Richter | Yeah… Nah! Live Podcast Recording |
| 14:30 – 15:00 | Afternoon tea | Afternoon tea |
| 15:00 – 16:00 | Elise Vermazeren-Provis | Panel discussion – with Susan, Melanie, and others |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | Greg Dawes | Finishes 4pm |
| Evening | Gala Dinner | – |
How Much?
It’s a bargain! For the low price of $150 (Early Bird, members and unwaged people get further discount) for an entire weekend of talks, or $90 for a single day – plus a Friday evening of fun and entertainment – this is about as far from a scam as you can get!
Gala Dinner Saturday at St Margaret’s College night only $70
Note: closer to the event the ticket price will increase – get in quick snap up this special offer!
Accommodation can also be arranged through St Margaret’s College – please fill in this form to book: https://stmargarets.college/conference/accommodation/request/
$110 per night (single including breakfast)
Weekend
Note: Early Bird Discount in place until 24 Oct
A whole weekend of skepticism
- Friday evening entertainment
- A weekend of fascinating skeptical speakers
- Catered morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea
Waged
Unwaged
Members Weekend
Note: Early Bird Discount in place until 24 Oct
A whole weekend of skepticism
- Friday evening entertainment
- A weekend of fascinating skeptical speakers
- Catered morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea
Members
Unwaged Members
Saturday Dinner
Gala Dinner and entertainment
- An evening of entertainment
- Buffet Dinner
Saturday
One day of skeptical talks
- Friday evening entertainment
- One day of engaging speakers
- Catered morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea
Sunday
One day of skeptical talks
- Friday evening entertainment
- A day of thought provoking speakers
- Catered morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea