Burning Man Regional Contacts
Kiwiburn is the longest-running Burning Man international Regional Event, held almost every year since 2004. Over 25 years old, the Burning Man Regional Network plays a key role in the year-round extension of the Burning Man experience, supporting it as a global cultural movement.
The Regional Network comprises over 250 volunteer Regional Contacts in 115 locations across 36 US States and 32 countries helping facilitate communication amongst local Burners, Burning Man Project, and other regional groups. These community leaders host over 100 unique official Regional Events annually on six continents.
Not everybody has the opportunity to get to Black Rock City. But with the Regional Network growing steadily year after year, more and more people around the world will have the opportunity to experience Burning Man culture.
Burning Man is currently represented in New Zealand by long-time Kiwiburners Pete Lumos Wyatt and Shelley Watson, your Burning Man Regional Contacts.
About us
Like many of you, a friend told Pete Lumos Wyatt to go to Kiwiburn, so he did in 2008 and he has been back to every one since then. Pete was given the playa name Lumos because as well as a profound believer in solar power he has over 20 years experience spinning fire as both the Fire Safety guy and the guy with some of the craziest fire props around.
Lumos soon became a Ranger and a member of the ExCom team, the Art Grants department and he founded the Mobile Art team that deals in all forms of mobile art. His pirate ship cruised the lake at the Mangakino site from 2009 until we moved to Hunterville, where he has had five different art cars over the last nine years.
Twice he has been to Burning Man to build art, firstly with the 2011 Temple of Transition and again in 2016 The Giant Weta. As a senior Ranger, he has served at Kiwiburn, AfrikaBurn, Blazing Swan, Burning Seed and Modifyre as well as many unofficial burns.
Shelley Watson first went to Burning Man in 2006 and has been to every Kiwiburn since 2007, served on the ExCom twice for a few years each time, started the Communications Team and set up the Art Grants department in that time too. A graphic designer, she created the logo and many of the early posters, patches, stickers, wristbands and other related Kiwiburn collateral. And she has been part of sound camps at Kiwiburn where she cut her teeth DJing rock music as miss mixtape. In 2017, Shelley represented Kiwiburn at the Burning Man Global Leadership Conference (GLC) in San Francisco, presenting an overview of Kiwiburn which was well received by attendees.
An integral part of the crew who received an Honoraria Grant from Burning Man to make a sculpture of a giant weta to take to Black Rock City in 2016, Shelley designed the logo, brand, and all the promotional materials, as well as managing all the social media channels, filming and editing videos, co-hosting fundraising events, and taking hundreds of photos of the build through to the finished art. She has also been to Burning Seed, Raglan Burn and many other unofficial burn-style events.
How we can help you:
- Are you interested in creating a local burn or burn-style event?
- What Burning Man resources could help your community?
- Do you want to create a civic project where you live?
- Are you heading to Burning Man and in need of advice?
Email your Regional Contacts newzealand@burningman.org
Announcement List:
The New Zealand Announce list is a moderated announcements-only list for events of interest to local Burners. Recipients get regular updates, event listings, and Burning Man news from this list.
To subscribe, send a blank email to:
newzealand-announce+subscribe@burningman.org
Useful links:
https://regionals.burningman.org/regionals/australasia/new-zealand/
https://regionals.burningman.org/about-the-regional-network/
https://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/
https://burningman.org/programs/burning-man-arts/civic-arts-program/
https://hive.burningman.org/discovery
A timeline of the history of Burning Man
25toThrive
The 25toThrive project was initiated in 2022 to reflect on where Burning Man is now and where as a community we want it to go in the next 25 years. This project will consider the Regional Network’s purpose, co-create a vision, and identify operational and strategic priorities. This collaborative process undertaken by network members for network members aims to foster a thriving, resilient, diverse, interconnected, mutually supportive, and engaging year-round network. Kiwiburn’s Chairperson, Andy Justice, is a member of the team.
