Hopefully you have recovered from the rigours of yet another successful WasteMINZ Conference and you are following up new contacts both business and social. To recap on the highlights

Awards

Award winners are named elsewhere, but it is worth noting how difficult it was to judge the best Trade Exhibit. The standard gets better every year, and we're happy to say that many of the trade sites for next year's conference in Christchurch were snapped up by would-be exhibitors before this year's conference ended!!! We must be doing something right.

Casino Night

There's nothing like playing with someone else's money, so the gambling part of the evening was loud and lively. Wasties won millions, and reliable sources claim to have seen James Bond mingling with guests. After hitting the tables a buffet meal of gigantic proportions was devoured with great enthusiasm before the serious part of the evening - getting rid of all that hard-earned money by way of an auction. First up, a much sought after return trip to Sydney was gotten rid of. AND YOU GUESSED it - it was won by an AUSTRALIAN!!!! Luckily, he's a really good Australian and we really quite like him, so well done Charlie. Have you got a friend to take that extra scat yet?

The auction was carried out with great gusto by Elvis Presley, cleverly disguised as our long-suffering Chairman. Elvis was assisted by three beautiful blondes, cannily pushing up the prices and delivering the prizes No comment will be made about some people getting more prizes than they should, and of course there is no truth in the rumour that it was real money being used. For those of you who were unable to get to Auckland - you'll never get a better deal on a brolley!! A great evening was had by all.... Soooo ensure that next year you make this a definite "not to be missed" part of your registration.

Conference Dinner

Once again - style - fine wine - fine food - and great entertainment. The night began on a red double-decker bus, to the sound of Pacific drums, and the sight of a few well-oiled bodies. The Rarotongan dancers outside Sky City looked pretty good too. The dinner was held at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron - you know, the home of the Americas Cup Mate? The cup's got its own wee security system, which resembles nothing so much as a dumb-waiter. Fab.

Kerre Woodham, the self-styled rapacious, salacious Mistress of Ceremonies kept us howling, though it was noted that few men seemed to understand the reference to putting on a G-string backwards. A great time was had by all, and we don't think many people will even remember what was served for dessert. Always a sign of a good night out.

Networking

Time and time again the phrase was heard - "wonderful chance to network", and this alone should ensure you come back every year to reap the benefits of this. It was great to see groups of people catching up, meeting for the first time, and sharing interests, both personal and business. We are sure many of you maintain contacts throughout the year thanks to the conference.

A major thank you must go to Mike Huddleston, Onyx Group Ltd, the WasteMINZ Conference major sponsor who has been incredibly supportive and helpful. The sponsorships as you must all be aware ensure that fees for attendance are greatly reduced for all functions and WasteMINZ also thanks the Ministry for the Environment, Tonkin & Taylor Ltd, Salters Cartage Ltd, Waste Management NZ Ltd, Auckland Regional Council, Perry Waste Services Ltd, Tredi New Zealand Ltd, CPI Paper and our printers Chameleon Design & Print.

Thank you for participating and helping to ensure a majorly successful conference.