One More Sleep Join Tiyende Pamodzi at Hunua Falls Camp 23 to 26 October
It's all happening tomorrow, bane! One more sleep and we are off to Tiyende Pamodzi, our ZIAA family gathering at Hunua Falls Camp from 23 to 26 October.
The bags are almost packed. The group chats are warming up. Someone has already asked, “Who is bringing the speakers?” Someone else is still looking for their torch. Awe sure, the long weekend is here.
This is the moment to check the final details, finish your registration, send in election nominations, add your favourite songs to the playlist, and make sure you arrive ready to rest, laugh, reconnect, and move together. Tiyende Pamodzi, let’s go together.
Arrivals begin on Friday from 4 pm
Friday is the day we gather.
If you are coming straight after work, school, study, or the long drive from your corner of Aotearoa, please plan your trip so you can arrive safely. Friday arrivals open from 4 pm at Hunua Falls Camp.
Come in, check in, find your space, greet the aunties, uncles, cousins, friends, and new faces, then breathe. You have made it.
A few arrival reminders:
Arrive from 4 pm on Friday
Please do not plan to arrive earlier unless you have been asked to help with set-up.
Check in when you get there
This helps the organisers confirm who is on site and direct you to the right place.
Drive safely
Leave enough time, especially if you are travelling after a full day. Share rides where possible and keep your phone charged.
Keep key items easy to reach
Have your warm layer, toiletries, medication, charger, and bedding where you can find them without unpacking the whole car in the dark.
Bring your best greetings
This is a Zambian gathering, bane. We cannot just wave from far. There will be handshakes, hugs where welcome, laughter, and “muli shani?” from every direction.
If you are delayed, do what we all know is wise: communicate early through the official ZIAA channels so the team can plan properly.
Registration closes on 23 October
If you have not registered yet, this is your loving but serious reminder: registration closes on 23 October.
Please do not wait until everyone is asking for directions and room allocations. The organising team needs final numbers for planning, catering, accommodation, programme flow, and those small details that make a weekend feel cared for.
Your action is simple:
Complete your registration before the deadline.
Confirm your payment or attendance details if required.
Check that names and numbers are correct.
Follow any final instructions shared by ZIAA.
If you have friends or family who keep saying, “I will do it just now,” please nudge them today. In Zambian time, “just now” can become Monday morning. This time, let us be ready.
Call to action: Register before 23 October and remind the person you promised to bring.
Election nominations also close on 23 October
This weekend is not only for catching up. It is also a chance to take part in the life and direction of our community.
Election nominations close tomorrow on 23 October. If you plan to nominate someone, accept a nomination, or put your name forward, please do it before the deadline through the official ZIAA nomination process.
Good community leadership does not appear by accident. It grows when people step up, serve with humility, listen well, and bring others with them. If you know someone who has the heart, steadiness, and commitment to serve ZIAA, now is the time to act.
A good nominee is not always the loudest person in the room. Sometimes it is the one who quietly shows up, checks on people, helps set up chairs, follows through, and keeps the bigger picture in mind.
Before you nominate, take a moment to think about:
Whether the person is willing to serve
Whether they understand the role
Whether they can work well with others
Whether they care about Zambians across Aotearoa, not only their own circle
Whether they will help build unity, trust, and momentum
Call to action: Submit all election nominations before 23 October. No sleeping on this one, mwebantu.
What to pack for Hunua Falls Camp
Packing for camp is always where the excitement becomes real. You start with one small bag, then suddenly you are adding a jacket, extra shoes, snacks, a chitenge, and “just in case” items that could fill a trailer.
Keep it simple, but come prepared.
Bring your bedding and personal basics
Unless your specific registration instructions say something different, plan to bring:
Sleeping bag or sheets
Pillow
Towel
Toiletries
Pyjamas or comfortable sleepwear
Any personal medication you need
A small bag for laundry or wet clothes
If you are someone who cannot sleep without your own pillow, do not gamble. Bring it.
Pack for spring weather
October in New Zealand can change its mind quickly. You can have sunshine, breeze, rain, and a chilly evening all in one day.
Bring:
Warm layers
Rain jacket
Comfortable walking shoes
Spare socks
A change of clothes for outdoor activities
Something comfortable for the evenings
Hunua is beautiful, but camp life is not the place to suffer because you wanted to travel light. Pack wisely.
Remember the useful extras
These are the items people often forget, then start asking around for:
Phone charger
Power bank
Water bottle
Torch or headlamp
Insect repellent
Sunscreen
Small backpack
Reusable coffee cup if you like one
Musical instrument if you play and are happy to share
Games, cards, or family-friendly activities for downtime
Bring a little Zambia with you
Tiyende Pamodzi is a community gathering, so bring something that adds to the feeling of home.
That might be:
A chitenge or Zambian outfit
A favourite song suggestion
A story from home
A game you grew up playing
A phrase you want the children to learn
A generous spirit
The best thing you can bring is not in your suitcase. It is your presence, your patience, and your willingness to connect.
Programme highlights to look forward to
The full programme will guide the weekend, but you can already expect a mix of connection, culture, movement, reflection, and good Zambian energy.
This is the kind of weekend where one conversation at breakfast becomes a new friendship, one song in the hall takes everyone back home, and one shared activity reminds us why community matters.
Day | What to expect |
Friday 23 October | Arrivals from 4 pm, settling in, greetings, welcome energy, and easing into camp life |
Saturday 24 October | Main programme sessions, community conversations, outdoor activities, music, cultural moments, and time together |
Sunday 25 October | More connection, shared reflection, leadership moments, elections-related activity where scheduled, and evening fellowship |
Monday 26 October | Final breakfast, clean-up, farewells, photos, and the journey home |
The heart of the programme is simple: we gather, we participate, we listen, we celebrate, and we go forward together.
Expect moments for all ages. There will be time to talk, time to move, time to sing, time to learn, and time to simply sit with people you may not have seen for a while.
If you are new to ZIAA events, come without fear. You do not need to know everyone. By the time tea has been served and someone has made a joke in Bemba, Nyanja, Tonga, Lozi, Kaonde, Lunda, Luvale, English, or full Zed mix, you will be fine.
If you have been around for years, come ready to welcome others. Community grows when the familiar faces make space for new ones.
Add your songs to the Spotify and YouTube playlists
A Zambian gathering without music? Bane, impossible.
ZIAA is inviting playlist contributions for Spotify and YouTube, and this is where everyone can add flavour. Think of the road trip songs, the old-school songs, the worship and reflection songs, the dance-floor starters, the camp clean-up music, and the tracks that make people shout, “Eh, who chose this one?”
Please send through your contributions so the playlists can carry the whole weekend well.
Good song ideas could include:
Zambian classics that bring back memories
Modern Zambian hits
Kalindula, Zamrock, gospel, Afrobeat, and family favourites
Clean, camp-friendly tracks
Songs for morning energy
Songs for evening connection
Songs for the drive to Hunua and the drive back home
When you submit, make it easy for the team. Share the song title, artist name, and if possible, a Spotify or YouTube link. If there is a clean version, choose that one.
Call to action: Send your Spotify and YouTube playlist contributions now so the weekend sounds like all of us.
Come ready to take part
Tiyende Pamodzi means the weekend will be strongest when everyone brings something to it.
You do not need a formal role to contribute. You can help by arriving on time, lending a hand, joining activities, welcoming someone new, watching out for children, respecting camp spaces, and keeping the mood warm.
Here are a few ways to come ready:
Be present
Put the phone down when you can. Talk to people. Join in.
Be flexible
Camp weekends have moving parts. A little patience goes a long way.
Be helpful
If chairs need moving, dishes need clearing, or someone looks lost, step in.
Be considerate
Respect shared rooms, quiet times, food arrangements, and the camp environment.
Be joyful
Bring the laughter. Bring the stories. Bring the song that will make everyone stand up.
This is how a weekend becomes more than an event. It becomes a memory.
Your final checklist before you sleep
Before you close the suitcase and say, “I am ready,” run through this quick checklist.
Register before 23 October
Submit election nominations before 23 October
Confirm your travel plan to Hunua Falls Camp
Plan to arrive from 4 pm on Friday
Pack bedding, towel, toiletries, warm clothes, and rain gear
Bring chargers, water bottle, torch, and any medication
Add your songs to the Spotify and YouTube playlists
Check official ZIAA updates for final instructions
Message the person you are travelling with
Sleep properly if you can, because the weekend will be full
Awe, mwebantu, this is it.
Tomorrow we gather at Hunua Falls Camp from 23 to 26 October for Tiyende Pamodzi. Come with expectation. Come with kindness. Come ready to build community. One more sleep, bane. See you there.
Comments