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The Evolution of Kiwiburn
by Mark "Yonderman" Stirling

Kiwiburn's Early History (2004-2006)

Mark ‘Yonderman’ Stirling's lengthy association with Burning Man (15 Nevada burns and 4 Kiwi Burns to his name) began while he was living in Reno, Nevada doing his Ph.D. in the '90s. He and his partner Jane (11 Nevada burns) discovered Burning Man by accident in '94 while on a camping trip in the Black Rock Desert. Burning Man immediately took hold, and they simply had to return again and again and again, even after moving back to New Zealand in the late '90s. They have even made the trip with their baby boys on a number of occasions. Mark logically became the New Zealand Regional.

After a few years of procrastination, Mark decided to stage the first regional burn in New Zealand in late 2003. Because of the difficulty of achieving "critical mass" at a regional event in a country where few have actually attended Burning Man, he chose the South Island’s Visionz festival as the most appropriate venue for the event since the festival had a similar emphasis on Burning Man-type philosophies such as "leave no trace" and subsistence culture. Discussions with both Burning Man and Visionz organisers went smoothly, giving him the go-ahead to hastily concoct a man out of wooden offcuts from his basement over a period of a few evenings. The early 2004 event was met with great enthusiasm from the participants, who had either heard of Burning Man previously, had seen the various pamphlets and posters around the festival (prepared by Andie Grace and her team), or had just decided to join in on the fun. The overall success of the inaugural New Zealand regional event meant that Mark acquired the necessary confidence to stage a stand-alone burn in the following year, and build substantially on his 2004 experience.

The 2005 and 2006 burns took place as stand-alone events in the South Island, and attracted approximately 200 people (check out the comprehensive history and images from the 2004-2006 burns in www.kiwiburn.com). Mark co-ran these events with Grant ‘Tribalman’ Knowles, a friend and local drum-maker/festival organiser. Grant’s abilities to make things happen when it came to festivals, as well as his talents for rounding up artists to build the fantastic 2005 and 2006 men, were essential for the success of the regional events.

Despite the small number of people in New Zealand who had actually made the trek to the Black Rock Desert (they numbered less than five at the time), New Zealanders have since readily embraced the concept and spectacle of Burning Man, much like Mark did back in 1994. The word and the vibe of Burning Man is out in Kiwiland!

For more information on the New Zealand regional group, write to Mark Stirling (newzealand@burningman.com) and check out www.kiwiburn.com for Kiwiburn 2008

Kiwiburn 2007:

2007 marked the first year the festival was held on the north island. In mid-2006, amidst the planning for the Feb 07 event, a group of highly enthused, motivated burners joined with Yonderman to form an organisational structure and bring the event to the North Island (closer to the majority of burners in the country), and ramp Kiwiburn up to the spectacular event witnessed in 2007. The event was aptly named Megamorphosis, which means Massive Change. For Yonderman, it was a dream come true that Kiwiburn took off to become a significant regional sensation, and has created a community of burners for burners and friends who meet in person and via the various electronic communications channels (e.g. www.kiwiburn.com, www.tribe.net,
and the newzealand-announce list). Yonderman still remains as the New Zealand regional contact and historian, but is now (much to his relief) one of a committee of devoted and talented Kiwiburner organisers, rather than the one bearing the entire responsibility. What follows is KuriousKat’s more detailed description of Kiwiburn 2007:

So just what went on at the last Kiwiburn 07? In ex-San Francisco burner KuriousKat's words:

'On a very physical level, Kiwiburn was a big ol' party held on a couple of rolling-hilled thistle-filled paddocks in Whakamaru/ Mangakino township just north of Taupo. It is a beautiful location with wise old trees and a big lake and lots of sheep and cows parked in the next paddock who watched curiously as we walked or danced by. We were 50% Kiwis, and 50% foreign travellers at the 2007 burn. Everyone said they couldn't wait to come back, and the word is continuing to spread.

More than half were Burners who had been to Black Rock City, and ages spanned single digits to sixties. There was a man, a temple, a labyrinth, a sky tower (New Zealand’s answer to the Space Needle in Seattle), a Kiwi, a center camp with a huge sound system, a greeter station, a bar, a loud dance camp, a chill space, fire spinners, body painters, a thunderdome, and of course plenty of art. These things weren't done by random people, but were created by the following wonderful people: Myles, Polly, Wendy aka Dr Windy, Pearl, the JAFAB's (Just Another Fkn Aucklander Burners) Sebastian, Bruce, KuriousKat, Cass, newly “outed” and locally famous DJs, Jess, Alan, Jodi, Allyn, Yondeman, Pink Moa dance camp (run by gregarious Pink Jonathan and sweet Pink Sam), Roy, Alfred, The One World, Josie, Carl, Sam, Shelley, Trailer Trash, HiDive, Ingrid, Marie the avocado lady & filmographer, Chris Kiwi our legendary Department of Public Works leader and site manager, Medic the rapper, Brady the poet, Jane, Lewis, Toby and Melza. These people had a vision of what a New Zealand burner event could be like, and the people who came not knowing a thing about the culture of burning man and totally dug it, embraced it, and wanted more. So much pride was exhibited among the folks there that this amazing event could happen here in New Zealand (and why not I say, since New Zealand is really a special and magical place).

Major thanks go out to the locals (the firemen, the farmers, and the district council & Destination Taupo representatives) who came to the event and contributed hugely. We could not have done without you.

So, to all that made it to the event this year, I salute you, as we did something quite amazing and awesome and something that may not be replicated. Not to say that future Kiwiburn events won't be great (and have not been so in the past), but they aren't likely to be exactly the same. As I look through my photos again and again, I smile and laugh and delight in all the wonderful people that made Kiwiburn special. You rock!'

We hope that many more overseas guests will join us in New Zealand for Kiwiburn 2008 on 1-4 February, which is looking bigger, brighter, louder, friendlier and more magical then ever before.