In spite of last minute hurdles, the National UniQ Conference held in Palmerston North was a success, say organisers. The Conference provides a forum for LGBT students and guest speakers to network and discuss LGBT issues, and is held in a different university location each year. “Despite all manner of last minute hurdles, including having three speakers cancel, finding out the venue had been double-booked less than two weeks beforehand and having to relocate the conference to another Massey campus, everyone pulled together and we scraped by on the skin of our teeth,” says Conference Co-ordinator Seth Winn. The Conference opened with the ‘All Tied Up' Costume Party – the theme was to wear a tie – and prizes for best costume were handed out. Various speakers covered off a wide range of subjects, including transgender and takataapui issues, Marxism and the recent Civil Union Act. A highlight of the Conference, says Winn, was the address of American activist Caite Greishop, who talked about her experiences with gay-straight alliances. “[Greishop] provided a veritable treasure trove of insights with which to build the UniQs of tomorrow.” Other speakers included MPs Georgina Beyer and Tim Barnett, co-ordinator of the AIDS Foundation's Out There programme for LGBT initiatives in high schools, Nathan Brown, Chris Coles from Asexuality Aotearoa New Zealand, and the Police's Diversity Liaison Officer Robin Pewhairangi. A new development was the appointment of a new UniQ National Representative, Megan Moffet, who will help UniQ groups to co-ordinate future initiatives. Ref: GayNZ.com, UniQ Palmerston North