Hallway con
Kawaiicon is more than just the main talk track over the two days. We know a lot of people come to the con to see each other, hangout, and cause some hacker mischief. That is why we have a hallway con. We have a number of satellites events in our orbit (at least that sounds better than calling them parasite events), and this year we really wanted to level up from previous years. There are a bunch of good eggs in the community who volunteered to run these, so show them some love and check their events out.
Before the con
Kākācon
Thursday 1:45pm
@ Zealandia
Come join your fellow hackers at Kākācon for a walk in Zealandia. Zealandia is Wellington’s eco sanctuary, where many wild birds fly around while having a lovely bush walk. It is an excellent opportunity to catch up with friends, old and new, without the background noise of a bar. There are no scheduled talks, but hallwaycon conversations ranging from hacking to birds and everything in between. Kākācon is happening Thursday, 6 November at 13:45 at Zealandia, the only cost is the Zealandia entry fee.
(Yes, Kākācon subscribes to the mantra: is it actually a con if there are no stickers? Pepper Raccoon has designed some awesome stickers and enamel pins (limited numbers, first in, first served)).
Good egg in charge: karit
Girl Geek Dinner
Thursday 5:00pm - ????
@ TBA
Come along and say hi to the awesome women of Kawaiicon 2025. We’ll be customising our badges for that metcha kawaii look, debating whether Cardcaptor Sakura or Sailor Moon was better at saving the world, and meet. Plenty of food and drinks to enjoy (with plenty of low/non-alcoholic options too!).
We strongly encourage all people who identify as women or non-binary to come along to kick off the start of the ‘con. Any questions, email the Crüe.
Keen?
Get your Girl Geek Dinner ticket
(Or if you miss tickets, just email us. No dramas.)
Good egg in charge: ladybugg
During the con
Cyber Attack Chain: The Card Game
Friday 9am - 5pm only
@ Michael Fowler Centre - Renouf Foyer (Level 1)
Education Arcade have developed a card game based of the Mitre Att&ck Framework to help teach non-techies about the anatomy of a cyber attack. They will be hosting 1 v 1 Cyber Attack Chain card game matches throughout the first day of the con, so bring a friend, an enemy, a colleague, or your grandma and lets play!
Prepare for the battle!
Education Arcade was created 7 years ago with a simple goal in mind: Create engaging cyber awareness content and activities through the use of gamification. They went all out making digital and physical games which over the years, have been played by hundreds of thousands of people world-wide, and have been recognised with several industry awards. They’re a purpose driven social enterprise that proves you don’t need a big budget to make a big impact.
Good egg in charge: Brock Roderick of Education Arcade fame
BlackBox Zero
Friday 9am - 5pm only
@ Michael Fowler Centre - Renouf Foyer (Level 1)
In the neon sprawl of the near future, data is currency and trust is extinct. They call it BlackBox Zero - a rogue contraption stitched from scavenged silicon and outlaw code. Inside: riddles that speak in shadows, a web interface dripping with dark secrets, and a magstrip ghoster hungry for your credentials. Only the sharpest Netrunners survive its gauntlet. Crack the code, clone the card, breach the system - before the system breaches you.
Good egg in charge: Real4XoR
The Enigma Machine and Cold War Capture the Flag
Friday 9am - 4pm, Saturday TBA
@ Michael Fowler Centre - FC Foyer (Level 0)
Australian Spy Museum CTF experience uses fully operational 1940’s and 1980’s cipher tech to recreate a Cold War secret message and decrypt exercise. On display will be the 1935 German military Enigma M1 and associated artefacts, and for the hands-on exercise we will use a fully operational East German Numbers Station appliance and a pair of Swiss Enigma (NEMA) machines.
Seeing this equipment from the Birth of Cyber up-close and operational is a touchstone experience for those in computing and cyber security.
Good egg in charge: Mike Pritchard of Australian Spy Museum fame
Locksport
Friday 9am - 5pm, Saturday 9am - 4pm
@ Michael Fowler Centre - Renouf Foyer (Level 1)
The Locksport Village hosted by lockpicking enthusiasts and physical security specialists will offer a place for participants to learn and practice lockpicking and other physical security techniques. The Locksport Village would host lockpicking presentations, including pin tumbler basics, physical security bypass, intermediate pin tumbler picking, and combo lock cracking. The village will offer a combination of presentations and theory sessions across various skill levels along with a common area for people to sit down and pick.
K.S (#Entryspecialist) is the pro in-charge. K.S was one of the key organisers for the lockpicking villages at BSides Melbourne, Adelaide and CrikeyCon. We are lucky to have K.S!
Good egg in charge: K.S
Kuracon
Saturday (timing TBA)
The Michael Fowler Centre - Lion Harborview (Level 2)
One of our personal favorite parts of the con (aside from summoning sparklepots on queue): our lil’ hacker con!
Our kids hacker con is run on the Saturday, and includes activities like lockpicking and kiddo-friendly CTF-like challenges. Age range we are targeting is 9 to 12-years-old but if you think your kid is interested then bring them along. It will be a fun and safe space for the hackers of tomorrow to try some things out and give it a go.
You (the parent / guardian) would need to be present while your kid is there, and they will need a Kuracon ticket. If another caregiver wants to come along to be impressed by their kid’s new skills (but not attend the con), drop us an email and we can help out.
Keen?
(Or if you miss tickets or need help attending, just email us. We would love to sort it out.)
Good egg in charge: bdg, dean, & CordyBleu