Signum University, along with members of Aotearoa New Zealand’s Tolkien fan community, invites you to join us for our first KiwiMoot.
It is a Moot in three parts:
- KiwiMoot, a three-day conference which will take place in Wellington from Saturday 6 February to Monday 8 February, 2027.
- A pre-Moot roadtrip in the North Island from Monday 1 Feb to Friday 5 Feb.
- A post-Moot roadtrip in the South Island from Weds 10 Feb to Sun 14 Feb.
Tickets can now be booked through the Moot registration page for in-person and online attendance for the KiwiMoot conference, and to register and pay a deposit for either or both of the roadtrip elements.
The conference event is at the Thistle Hall on Cuba Street. We look forward to welcoming you. As the locals say: You can’t beat Wellington on a good day.
KiwiMoot conference theme: Stars and signs
Our conference theme is Stars and Signs, and we are open for submissions for workshops, discussions, presentations, performances, and academic papers. Please consider whether you wish to contribute – no prior experience is necessary and this will be a warm and welcoming community experience.
Our moot theme is intentionally expansive!
Ideas for submissions include (but are not limited to):
- considerations of prophecy and foresight
- decision-making, fate and free will
- astronomy
- signs and heraldry
- maps and mapmaking
- myths and mythmaking
- losing and finding your way
- symbols and alphabets
- art and storytelling
- It is also a reference to film stars and the making of the iconically New Zealand Peter Jackson film trilogies, plus other adaptations of Tolkien’s work.
In Tolkien’s world, stars and signs are guides that offer hope and truth to a world in decline. While the stars, created by the Varda, act as an untouchable “high beauty” that leads the Elves and rightful Kings, the Enemy uses darker omens to mimic this power. Where stars provide a steady, objective light, symbols like the Red Eye or the White Hand are intrusive signs of domination and despair, designed to make evil feel … inevitable.
It is not a requirement that your submission fits this theme, but we hope to centre our thinking around it and in so doing, illuminate this concept in new ways through juxtaposing different ideas and interpretations.
A full moot schedule will be available later in 2026, including our two (optional) evening excursions.
- Register for the Moot
- Submit a Moot contribution early – First call for papers closes 30 April
- Second call for papers closes 30 June
- Final moot schedule announced ~September
KiwiMoot roadtrips
In exciting news, and designed especially for those visiting Aotearoa New Zealand, the community of Kiwi Signum fans further invite you to join them on a road trip to take in some of the sites where Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies were filmed.
This is in addition to the three-day Moot in Wellington, and is an optional extra. The Moot itself will be lots of fun and we expect many people will come only for the moot, doing their own travelling and holidays.
The KiwiMoot 2027 Roadtrips page has more information on the Road Trips
Itinerary at a glance:
- North Island Pre-Moot: 1 to 5 Feb, starting in Auckland and ending in Wellington including a banquet at Hobbiton and a walk to Mount Doom. Final cost confirmed end of March; indicative cost $1450 NZD.
- Moot: 6 to 8 Feb, in Wellington.
- Rest day / do what you want / informal group plans: 9 Feb, in Wellington.
- South Island Post-Moot: 10-14 Feb, flying out of Wellington and ending in Queenstown, including sites for Edoras, Rohan, Gondor. Plan your own homeward travel from Queenstown on the 14th (or go to further NZ adventures). Final cost confirmed end of March; indicative cost $1900 NZD.
FAQ
I have questions, questions that need answering!
We are here to answer All Your Questions. Kiwimoot2027@gmail.com