The Con

Kiwicon is an all ages hacker conference, which, if you were wondering, means we talk about the intricacies of breaking into, breaking out of, or breaking around technological systems. If it's got a "warranty void if broken" seal, you can bet we already ripped it off, and are reverse engineering the firmware right now. 

If you've been to a hacker con elsewhere, then you'll know what Kiwicon is about - DEFCON, Ruxcon, or any of the other grass roots community cons are what Kiwicon pays homage to, but perhaps with a little kiwi flavour... 

If you're new to hacker conferences, which, given the distance to the overseas cons, many of our attendees are, well, you're in for a treat. Kiwicon is probably not like any other tech conference you've been to - there's no dry, boring talks (well, we try), no vendor booths, no bags of crappy pens and tripe you don't want. Instead you'll get people who are engaged with tech because they are pathologically curious; poking things till they break just because its there. You'll probably also get one of the more hostile network environments you're likely to connect to (perhaps, second to the Ministry of Health, circa 2009), so, unless you're particularly confident at securing your laptop, phone, RFID proxcard, passport, pager, or iPad, you'd be best to just leave them at home. Or take the battery out (and watch out for HERF guns.)

Yes, some hackers break the law. Lots of hackers don't - we're not Legion; the Kiwicon audience spans from corporate and government types, thru infosec industry, the wider tech sector, students, academics and onwards into space cadets, conspiracy theorists, nutters, freaks, and goths. So pretty much like life, then. Keep an open mind, and, in the words of Frankie, relax. 

The frequently asked questions page may help, too. 

Now that's out of the way, why dontchya:

 

And of course...