• Has anyone got any plans for before or after the conference?

There have been a large number of registrations for the International Education Courses. My pick is that people will arrive in time for those then spend some time travelling after the Conference. Wellington provides easy access to the South Island witht he Interislander Ferry departing for Picton regularly. Other options may be campervan tours back up the North Island before departing from Auckland.

Yes, the courses on offer before the conference are a great opportunity and it's good to see the delegates taking advantage of the chance to see what training other teachers around the world get ... Another idea is to fly into Auckland early, rent a car or camper van and drive down to Wellington. A straight drive would take about 8 hours, but taking a week would allow most of the North Island's hightlights to be take in. We did that trip last November with parents and it was great. The Coromandel Peninsula was great for us, we really enjoyed the beaches up there - a great place for kayaking too. Anyway, I hope lots of people get to see some of greater New Zealand while they are in country.

I haven't myself, but I am keen to hear the feedback from those who will be attending one of the pre-congress education courses! Who is going to what?

I have been talking to a number of people who are either arriving a few days before the conference and checking out the area, or staying on for a little while afterward. I am sure a lot of them will be meeting up and enoying themselves. There's certainly plenty to see and we've been getting some beauiful Spring days lately!