The New Zealand National Convention and National Show recently took place in Christchurch, the city which was badly shaken by large earthquakes a few years ago. It was wonderful to see the convention hosted there and to me personally, a great occasion, as it was the first time I have been there after the earthquakes. The rebuild is in full swing, but the devastation is still clearly visible.

The Friday saw the New Talent competition with five competitors and later that night a wonderful performance by Chinese performers preceded the official opening. Boon Manakitivipart was also introduced to the crowd. The following two days were filled with demonstrations by Boon and other local artists with the prizegiving ceremony and dinner on the Saturday night. Below are a few of the trees on display at the convention. New Zealand trees have come a long way and is progressing rapidly. For a very young Bonsai country and no real Bonsai market to speak of, we can be proud of what was on display here and especially the great organisation behind this convention. Next year we will meet in Auckland with Peter Warren our headliner.

Another blog post will have more photos and also the demonstration trees that Boon worked on.