Volunteer
There are many ways to participate at Kiwiburn. If you are not creating your own theme camp or building an art structure, perhaps you will consider volunteering. Kiwiburn always needs volunteers, so take a look at the list below and see if anything piques your interest. If you'd like to volunteer either before, during, or after Kiwiburn please email volunteer@kiwiburn.com with your availability details and areas of interest. Also keep an eye on the Forums as individual theme camps are likely to post their volunteer needs there. There will also be a message board at Centre Camp with other opportunities for volunteering. Training for any of the below groups will be provided.
Please note that this is a participant created festival. Everyone contributes, everyone pays. Kiwiburn does not subsidise entry fees in exchange for volunteer work.
GATE & EXODUS
GATE
The "Gate" department are the first people to welcome participants on to the paddock after they turn off the highway, and we are the last people to say goodbye as they return to the default world. We operate from 8 am till 1 am through the event, and we work very closely with every other department on the paddock.
Gate crew is a brand spanking new department that will be ushering hundreds of people on to the paddock in what should be a seriously fun ordeal of searching cars and tearing your tickets. Don’t confuse us with the greeters station, who you will be oh so happy to party with as soon as you get through us.
Our number one priority is to ensure that each and every inhabitant of Kiwiburn gets in safely and with the proper credentials (read: ticket in hand or http://kiwiburn.com/conditions). We search all vehicles, looking for those sneaky stowaways, potential MOOP-makers (Matter Out Of Place), firearms, fireworks, and dogs. We ensure that every one gets in safe and sound.
EXODUS
Exodus exists to help participants get out of Kiwiburn and down the highway as safely and as fairly as possible. We will also be accepting donations of food, beer and water for all the clean up crew volunteers. We are the last contact our participants have with Kiwiburn. Exodus is responsible for reporting broken-down vehicles, assisting drivers with issues, and generally being out there making sure the process is running smoothly. We take pride in completing the cycle, from arrival through Gate, to leaving with Exodus.
Volunteer with Gate & Exodus
We are looking for people to help us make a positive impact on everyone's experience the minute they leave the blacktop of the default world and enter Kiwiburn till the moment we say goodbye to everyone’s frazzled little minds. We need volunteers 18 hours a day during the three days of the event, and a day or two after for Exodus. Most shifts are 6 hours and we operate 18 hours a day which means we should be able to find a shift that suits you best. You will always do a shift with at least one other person, so you may want to sign up with a friend, or a group of friends, then again, part of the fun is sitting around with a stranger for 6 hours. It’s bound to be amusing. The main gate is closed and locked at midday on the day of the burn, so don’t worry about getting stuck with that shift.
There are a few traits and skills that will serve you well in our department:
* A willingness to work hard and be part of our team.
* Responsible, self-reliant, and able to roll with the punches.
* Patience, composure and a sense of humour in challenging situations.
* Good people skills and a desire to interact with everyone who enters or leaves Kiwiburn.
* And of course a willingness to have fun while doing all of this!
Volunteers that feel they have what it takes will be given training on site.
If you wish to join the Gate & Exodus crew, please contact - gate@kiwiburn.com
GREETERS:
Greeters are the first contact between participants and the denizens of Kiwiburn. We make the first impression! Greeters should be witty and filled with infectious exuberance as our role is to provide and convey important festival information (like safe uses of the portaloos and our leave no trace ethic) to arriving participants and be able to answer any and all questions! Enjoying dressing up and being paddock-fabulous is a plus! If you’ve got flair, then we want you!
Volunteers needed: 25+
Shifts: 4 hours
Contact: Greeters@kiwiburn.com
HEALTH & SAFETY :
The Health & Safety (H&S) team reviews all art projects and theme camps for safety and compliance. Volunteers are needed to inspect all art and theme camps as they are erected to ensure compliance to their H&S plan.
Volunteers needed: 1 or 2
Shifts: Pretty casual, probably a couple of hours on the first two days of the festival.
Contact: volunteer@kiwiburn.com
RANGERS:
In 2009 we started a Rangers group much like the Black Rock City Rangers at Burning Man, known as the "Black Sheep Wranglers". The Wranglers are the eyes and ears of Kiwiburn. They remain sober/drug-free during shift duty and act as non-confrontational community mediators. Wranglers address within the community, situations that would otherwise require outside intervention.
Volunteers needed: 15 – 20
Shifts: 6 hours In order to be a Ranger, you must have attended Kiwiburn at least once; having attended Burning Man is a plus.
Contact: volunteer@kiwiburn.com
MINISTRY OF PUBLIC WORKS (MPW):
The Kiwiburn Ministry of Public Works (KB MPW) is the group that plans, surveys, builds, and takes down the basic infrastructure of our temporary community It works hand-in-hand with other departments to ensure the site for Kiwiburn is prepared and ready to receive the participants on arrival.
This includes:
* Marking and maintaining access roads and walk ways
* Creating and placing signage
* Establishing the gate
* Building and placing spires and community lighting
* Maintaining approved potable water systems
* Building functional/safe shade structures
* Building the Man, Center Camp, the lantern spires, the Gate and entrance to the community
* Surveying road alignments and camp site boundaries, theme camp and artwork locations, signage and border fencing
* Interfacing with staff and outside agency facilities
* Directing potty placement
* Providing portable and stationary electrical power
* Assisting with major art projects
* Provide dust control on the roads via squirty bottles
The MPW Schedule:
Pre-Event: We are usually on-site anywhere from 3-4 days before the event to start the setup process. This includes: setting up base and securing venue, supervising mowing of heavily grassed areas, supervising the preparation of the burn site, positioning portable toilets, establish greeters & gate, surveying Theme Camp sites and Art Installation positions, and assisting in installing The Man, The Temple and Centre Camp.
During Event: We help ensure the smooth running of the event by having a high visibility to assist participants at all times including security issues in conjunction with the Rangers
Post-Event: We are usually on-site 1-2 days post event to assist with complete pull down of Centre Camp and other installations, supervising the exit of participants in a safe and orderly way, and completing an entire site sweep in compliance with our Leave No Trace environmental principles.
The MPW are heroic, determined, hardworking, responsible, creative, interesting, dedicated, unusual, individuals, working together for extended periods, in dangerous and hostile conditions, toward a common and vital goal.
Volunteers needed: Indefinite
Shifts: For as long as you like!
Contact: MPW@kiwiburn.com
We repeat, if you'd like to volunteer to do shifts with any of the above or to offer any other volunteer services, please email volunteer@kiwiburn.com with your availability details, areas of interest, and relevant skills (tell us why we should have you on the team!). The Volunteer Czar will direct your inquiry to the appropriate Team Leader who will then get in touch with you. We must reiterate that Kiwiburn does not subsidise entry fee tickets in exchange for volunteer work. This is a participant created festival. Everyone contributes, everyone pays. So please don’t ask, mmk? If you are interested in helping don't hesitate as he who hesitates is lost!