Mount Victoria Rotary - developing projects and increasing membership

Funds were raised for an electric paediatric bed for Wellington hospital.

At District Changeover, Mount Victoria Rotary won the W8 Award for the largest increase in membership.  They are an inner city Club who meet in nice surroundings at the West Plaza Hotel and are looked after well with a happy hour followed by a great meal and good company.  Importantly, they have innovative, relevant projects.

A signature project of Mount Victoria Rotary is the fundraising from five dollar notes signed by Sir Edmund Hillary - an example of an innovative idea brought to action.

President Mark Chiu and DG Martin with the
welcoming sign at the West Plaza Hotel reception desk

There are many other projects such as hosting Circus Quirkus in Wellington which, through sponsorships, provides free circus-style entertainment free of charge to families.

Overseas they have worked with a Samoan village to provide solar power to  a pre-school.

They are another Club which collaborates with others.  An example is working with Port Nicholson Rotary to hold an ANZAC Day breakfast which raised funds to purchase an electric paediatric bed for Wellington Children's Hospital.

Mount Victoria Rotarians are also planning to support refugees arriving in Wellington, and they are involved in much more.

Heretaunga Rotary - three Past District Governors, growing membership, huge generosity and watch this space for a community award

President Iain Opray inducts new members Peter Boniface and Garry Tranter

Denise and I remember the first District Conference we went to.  It was in Upper Hutt and was a great experience that encouraged both of us to become more involved in Rotary.  The DG at that time was Graham Douglass from Heretaunga Rotary.  I hope you will all come to our Conference in New Plymouth on the weekend of 21-23 April 2017 and enjoy a similar invigorating experience.  

Heretaunga Rotary is distinguished by the fact that it has produced three District Governors - Graham Douglass (Carlene), Michael Leggott (Alisa) - who is now an Honorary Member of Kapiti Rotary and who I had the honour of meeting when I visited that Club - and Bryan Ross (Noeline).  Bryan and Noeline were both present when I visited Heretaunga Rotary at a formal evening at the Royal Wellington Golf Club.  What a great venue!  I had not been here since my Rotarian Past-President father Denis and I had followed the New Zealand Golf Open at this impressive course some time ago.  
This Club is the second most generous in terms of per capita donations to The Rotary Foundation.
 When only 17 of 55 Clubs in our Rotary District give more than NZ$100 per member to The Rotary Foundation, how can the Rotary Club of Heretaunga give much more than NZ$200 per member?  Because they know the difference that Rotarians can make in our own communities and throughout the world by supporting The Rotary Foundation.  They are an example that we should all follow.

Heretaunga Rotary has set up a membership focus group and I had the pleasure of being involved when President Iain Opray inducted two new members, and there are more to come.

Heretaunga Rotarians are engaged in a variety of local and international activities to improve the lives of others and fund raise.  Locally you just have to look at the Bookfest, which raises significant funds, the hanging baskets in Silverstream. the development of a shelter area at Pinehaven School, support for the Teen Parenting Centre and the Upper Hutt Foodbank and Te Omanga Hospice and much more.  They help the local Plunket Society with painting and you'll see them at the Upper Hutt Spring Carnival and the Petone Fair.  They're also responsible for developing a segment of the Rotary River Trail along the Hutt River.  And they send two young people to RYPEN and the Rotary National Science and Technology Forum and one to RYLA, while supporting local youth in other ways.

Overseas they provide books to schools in Fiji, Samoa and the Pacific Islands as well as Emergency Response Kits, a ShelterBox and contribute to eradicating polio - and much more.

It is no wonder that Heretaunga Rotary is a Wellington Airport Regional Community Award Finalist.  We wish them well in the Awards.  Thank you President Iain, Margaret and Heretaunga Rotarians for making AG Stephen Fitzjohn and me so welcome.
 

Fijian students reading from material provided by Heretaunga Rotary.

A piano, a Rotaract Club, a new Interact Club, and what next for innovative Port Nicholson Rotary?

Several work colleagues used to mention to me the colourful piano being played by people on the Wellington waterfront on those beautiful sunny days that we seem to be enjoying increasingly in Wellington.  It was great to be able to say that this was Rotary bringing vitality to our community, through the Rotary Club of Port Nicholson.  This Club is full of innovative ideas and happy to share them.

A few years ago, the Rotary Club of Port Nicholson was one of the Wellington Clubs that helped establish Wellington Rotaract and one of their members, Jo-Ann, was present when AG John Mohi, Denise and I visited last week.  We were also delighted to hear that Port Nicholson Rotary's efforts to create an Interact Club in Wellington were at the stage where I was able to sign off on the new Interact Club's certification documents for processing by Rotary International.  We look forward to the charter celebration in a few weeks time.

The Interact Club consists of 26 charter members from Wellington Girls College and Wellington College.  A member from each College will co-Chair the Interact Clubs, which is a great example of collaboration across two colleges.  We look forward to hearing more about their continuing community and social activities.

DG Martin signs off on the certification documents for a new
Interact Club involving Wellington College (co-Chair Jack in photo)
and Wellington Girls' College.  

Port Nicholson Rotary has many local and international community service projects on the go, including working with other Rotary Clubs to fit out an ambulance for Wellington Free Ambulance, raising significant funds through a quiz and auction evening to support charitable causes, and supporting young people through Rotary's youth programmes such as peer support, dictionaries in schools and RYLA.  Port Nicholson Rotary is to be congratulated for running RYLA for the past three years and they are now supporting Hutt City Rotary as that Club takes over the RYLA programme.  See the next District Newsletter at www.rotary9940.org for more information about RYLA enrolments.

President Mark Cassidy with a certificate recognising the Club
as a Centurion Club, giving more than NZ$100 per member to
The Rotary Foundation.  

Port Nicholson Rotarians are also actively involved in major international projects, such as providing potable water to communities in the Philippines with other Rotary Clubs and rebuilding a water supply destroyed in the Nepal earthquake.  And these are only a few of the activities this Club is involved in.

Rotary Clubs like Port Nicholson get involved in a diverse range of activities for a number of reasons, which include their willingness to contribute to and learn from their involvement in District activities.  They can rely on the experience and advice of Past District Governor Howard Tong, AG Rick Hughes, Christopher Robertson on taxation, governance, charitable trusts and The Rotary Foundation, Brent Gerrard as Treasurer for South Pacific Presidents Elect Training and working with Mark Pickering, Mike Selvadurai  and others on the Philippines water project, Bev Wells who as Chair of the District International Service Committee and RNZWCS Ltd has gathered together a great team from other clubs, Jane Paterson as the NZ Chair for the Peer Support Trust, Joy Durrant as Literacy Coordinator and Bill Day as ROMAC coordinator providing needy overseas people with surgical interventions here in New Zealand.     

Now - see what I have done?  I have mentioned some projects and some people, but I will have missed out many of both, but as Rotarians who live by the Motto of "Service above Self", I am sure you will forgive me any omissions.  The main purpose of this blog is to highlight different aspects of Rotarian service that I hope will be informative and inspirational for other Rotarians.  Thanks you President Mark Cassidy and Port Nicholson Rotarians for making John, Denise and I feel so welcome.  

AG John Mohi, DG Martin, President Mark Cassidy and Brent Gerrard

Eastern Hutt Rotary - shaping their activities to meet the needs of their community

The annual Eastern Hutt Christmas Raffle

Eastern Hutt Rotary has assessed the needs of its community and created a structure designed to meet those needs.  It has created committees  for education & employment, health & well being, environment & public amenities, international, and special projects.  This resonates with my encouragement to create the Club that suits your communities and members.

The focus provided by these communities ensures that Eastern Hutt Rotarians are engaged in a wide range of activities serving their community.  You may read more on their website at http://www.easternhuttrotary.org.nz/ as I can't possibly capture all that Eastern Hutt Rotary does in its local and overseas communities.

John Terris demonstrates visually the great spirit Club members
displayed during the Healthy in the Hutt exposition 
(with President Colin Fenton)

Eastern Hutt has a particular focus on improving the lives of people in lower socio-economic areas in the Hutt Valley.  They have knocked on the doors of hundreds of homes to facilitate the installation of government-subsidised insulation to improve living conditions.  They have just been involved in a "Healthy in the Hutt" exposition in Taita where home insulation was promoted, children were checked for winter ills, food and give-aways were provided, alongside stalls and demonstrations.

This is yet another Rotary Club that demonstrates the power of working with others.  Healthy in the Hutt involved working with Te Puni Kokiri, Housing New Zealand, Citizens' Advice Bureau, Hutt City, the Environmental Protection Authority and the New Zealand Fire Service.  The Club also has current and past representatives on various District Committees that keeps them connected and up-to-date.

Health Education in Vanuatu

The Club supports Duffy Books in Homes, Dictionaries in Schools, RYLA, RYPEN, the Science and Technology Forum, the Asthma Foundation (which Rotary helped establish) and much more.  Eastern Hutt Rotary was also awarded Rotary Foundation District Grants to support the Parkinsons Society and the Music for Life programme for alzheimer sufferers.

They have taken a strong lead on international projects.  Emergency Response Kits (ERKs) were first introduced to New Zealand in 1983 as Emergency Boxes by the Rotary Club of Eastern Hutt.  Dave Wilson of Eastern Hutt Rotary helped manage the transition to ERKs and strongly promoted them in our District with the support of his wife Margaret. Colin Alford takes the lead for Rotary's work with RUCHI which has provided water, sanitation and increased well being and income to people in Northern India.  This is an impressive project which I have been fortunate enough to have seen first hand.  Health education was also recently provided in Vanuatu.

Eastern Hutt's two major fundraisers are the annual Christmas trailer raffle at Westgate Mall and the golf tournament which has been running now for 12 years.

Thank you Eastern Hutt Rotary for your warm welcome and hospitality.  Congratulations also to Graeme and Sheila Ballantyne on your Pride of Workmanship Awards.

Multiple awards for Courtenay Place Rotarians who are digging big, measure their volunteer inputs and are on the move

The Rotary Big Dig on Freyberg Beach, Oriental Bay, in 2016.

Most of us are watching the Olympic games at the moment and we know the huge kudos that goes to athletes who medal in multiple events.  Courtenay Place Rotary deserves similar kudos, bringing home three awards at the recent District Changeover: a silver award for the RI Presidential Citation, the District Governor’s Public Image Award for the Big Dig project and the Sir John Ilott Award for best attendance at District Assembly.

Denise and I were sitting next to Howard Mayer and when I brought out the DG's chain we were surprised and fascinated to hear that his grandfather had made the chain in the early 1920's.  What a rich history and tradition we have in Rotary.

Courtenay Place Rotary is one of several Clubs in Wellington, each of which has a different character and approach to projects, based on their members' interests and the communities they identify with.  Courtenay Place Rotary holds the yearly Big Dig on Freyberg Beach in Oriental Bay, sells glow sticks to fund raise on fireworks night, provides readers for pupils at Mount Cook School, to name just a few of their many community activities.

They collaborate by working alongside Rotaract Wellington and organisations such as Bellyful, which delivers meals to families with newborn babies and families with young children who are struggling with illness - see http://bellyful.org.nz/, and Drug-Arm Wellington http://www.drugarm.org.nz/

This is a Club to watch.  They have surveyed their membership and they have all sorts of plans.  They account for volunteer hours in MyRotary, like I wish all Clubs would, and monetize these hours in their financial statements.  What a powerful message we would have if we all knew about the amount of volunteer effort Rotarians are carrying out in our communities.      

Friday lunchtime at a Rotary meeting is a really nice way to end the working week and from 2 September you will find Courtenay Place Rotary meeting at a new venue in the heart of Cuba Street - the CQ Comfort Hotel, 223 Cuba Street on Friday at noon for a 12.15 pm start.  This will be a great location for people working or living near by.

Denise & DG Martin, President Jean Phipps, PDG Dexter Bambery and Celia, AG John Mohi

Rotary is ready to light up Foxton to complement other attractions such as the windmill De Molen and the Dutch Connection Museum

Charlie & Chrissy Pederson, DG Martin, AG Chris Garrett
at the Foxton water tower photographed by Sandra Eckert.

President Chrissy and Charlie Pedersen and Sandra Eckert took AG Chris Garrett and me for a walking tour of Foxton and up to the water tower.  We have all seen the Foxton water tower as we have driven north on State Highway 1.  Soon when you pass by on some evenings you will see the tower lit up in different lighting designs thanks to the efforts of Foxton Rotary working with Awapuni Rotary. This has been a major project for the Club and the lights should go on in late August over an area of park that Foxton Rotary has also contributed to beautifying.

Denise and I have often popped into Foxton, particularly when our children were young, because of the windmill De Molen.  AG Chris was able to tell us that the main street in Foxton is so wide because it was designed to allow carts with up to six bullocks to turn around.    

I was pleased to hear that Foxton will soon also host the Dutch Connection Museum, which will be the New Zealand National Dutch Museum recording and showcasing the Dutch immigration experience.  This will be a great tourism attraction for Foxton and you can find more information about developments at http://www.dutchconnection.org.nz/

DG Martin, President Chrissy and new member Jason Davy

Another major project for Foxton Rotary is the annual Oroua Downs Trail Bike Ride which is a joint fun and fundraising effort with Oroua Downs school.  Several farming families who have a long history in the area allow their fences to be opened up and the course set over several farms for a 35 kilometre ride.  More than 430 bike riders take part annually.

It is great to see Foxton developing with the support of its local Rotary Club which is providing events for the local community and attractions that enhance the lives of local people while also drawing in more people to contribute to the local community.

Foxton Rotary is of course engaged in many projects and activities, including supporting our youth to RYPEN, RYLA, RYDA, the Rotary National Science and Technology Forum and school speech competitions.

Foxton Rotary is another good example of Rotary improving the lives of everyone in our communities.

Breakfast with three generations at Hutt Valley Rotary, where Rotarians are connected, busy and generous

Denise and I visited Hutt Valley Rotary at 7 am last week on one of those still and frosty mornings.  It seems to me that one advantage of a morning Club is that you can make an early start and then get off to work, holding project meetings at other times for the people involved in those projects.  Hutt Valley Rotary also holds social events at different times, such as movies evening or trips to Butterfly Creek. A breakfast meeting often suits busy business people.

Meetings have to be run to time to fit in with people's schedules so one really gets down to the key matters that need to be discussed, giving a real sense of vitality and what is important - and it's a great way to kick start the day.  President Michelle Simpson did a great job of managing the meeting.

This was the widest age group I have spoken to as some parents brought their children along, which was great to see.  The greater diversity we have, the richer our experience of Rotary.   In one room we had three generations - PDG Judy Bain, Jo Newlove and her son (Judy's grandson).

Hutt Valley Rotary is engaged in a wide range of community projects, including Duffy books in homes, the annual duck race in the Hutt River, and the Dowse brick pathway.  They have provided funds to various organisations, including the Malaghan Institute to help find a cure for cancer, and are generous contributors to The Rotary Foundation as a Centurion Club, giving more than NZ$100 on average per member.  

Hutt Valley Rotary is very well connected with other Clubs, particularly because of their involvement in District roles, such as:
   

• Judy Bain, Chair of China Friendship and Projects - 2015-16, hosted a Teacher exchange from Mi Yun County (near Beijing) - friendship exchanges, vocational training and humanitarian support
• Jo Newlove, Public Relations and Communications Chair (worked with Richard Stephen to get our new website up and running)
• Ken Chandler, Stroke Awareness District Chair (bllod pressure checks are coming up on 1 October)
• Brian Mansfield and Michael Markham, Finance Committee
• IPP Tony McCombs and then also others who have been involved in the past.

Thank you Hutt Valley Rotary for hosting Denise and me over breakfast.

DG Martin, VP Martin Penrose, President Michelle Simpson, PP Tony McCombs 

Involvement in a wide range of projects allows Plimmerton Rotary to appeal to many people and grow its membership

President Peter Cox, DG Martin, Denise Garcia, and Alison Cox

We are visiting six Clubs this week and I am behind on my posts, so it is a real pleasure when a Club does an excellent write-up for me in their newsletter.  I believe David Pine is the author and, despite it being his birthday, he still attended with his wife Margaret for our visit earlier this week.  Thank you David for your dedication and it was great to see Margaret again as she taught all six of our children at Tawa Central Kindergarten.  It was a pleasure to meet many Plimmerton Rotarians who we have come to know over the years, including PDG Graeme and Christine Blick, AG Chris Garrett (Kapiti/Horowhenua) and many more.   Plimmerton is the second largest Club in our District, with 66 members.    

RIYE students Gaëlle & Laurie meet at Plimmerton Rotary

And here is David's write-up:  "Speaking at the Club on 9th August, Rotary District Governor Martin Garcia applauded the efforts of the Club, not only for its growth but also for the wide array of projects in which the Club was involved. “Your principal project is the creation of the pathway around the Pauatahanui Inlet, but you are involved in so many other things as well, from speech contests for young people, and sponsoring university students in Cambodia, to supporting the Shine literacy project in Porirua, and helping rebuild shattered lives on the Fijian island of Taveuni. The list is a long one and you should feel immensely proud of what you continue to achieve.” 

The name of my grandfather's boss really is
on this chain - T. C. List in 1933.

Rotary had been founded on principles which remained entirely relevant today. “These include service both to the local community and on a worldwide scale; friendship and networking; a reputation for high ethical standards and fairness; and leadership. You are all leaders. You get things done, you make changes happen, and you support and mentor young people through such events as the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and the international Rotary Youth Exchange programme. You are helping to make your community stronger, helping all sectors of the community feel connected and involved.”

Internationally, Rotary had achieved what many thought would be impossible: the total eradication of polio from the planet. “In 1985 there were 350,000 new cases of polio reported in the world. This year there have been just 17. That’s right, just 17. Rotary did that.”Mr Garcia urged Club members to help members of the community understand what Rotary was all about. “We need to be better understood, to keep growing our membership, to create new partnerships within the communities we serve, and to fund raise more so that we can do more good.”

A warm welcome from Pencarrow Rotary - taking on a new initiative and increasing membership

President Wolfgang Kure, with new Rotarians Molly, Kim and Britta, and Rotarian Les Isaac.

Pencarrow Rotary is the first of two Rotary Clubs we visit this week who are located at yacht clubs (the other being Plimmerton this evening).  These are pleasant, modern facilities in great settings.  Pencarrow Rotary complements its setting at the Lowry Bay Yacht and the location of most of their members along the Wellington Harbour coastline by calling their weekly newsletter "The Tide".

View from Lowry Bay Yacht Club
Photo credit to PDG Graeme Blick  2012 

Pencarrow Rotarians also complemented their setting with a warm welcome for Denise, me and AG Trish Brown.  They have revamped their website http://www.rcp.org.nz/ so that it is mobile friendly, they use analytics to measure hits and they have an up-to-date Facebook page.  Pencarrow Rotary has moved to fortnightly meetings with social events in between, including movie evenings.  This change has allowed them to reduce costs to members.  Members pay monthly for meeting and meal costs and also for a contribution to The Rotary Foundation that they can opt out of if they wish.

So their internal and external settings are aligned, both pleasant, modern and welcoming.  This is likely to be one of the reasons Pencarrow is attracting new members.  Three members joined in July alone.

The Club has also taken on a new initiative - the Eastbourne Market which will be held at Day's Bay on Sunday 11 December.  They have been involved in the Timor L'Este surgical sterilisation project, have supported a VSA doctor in Papua New Guinea and they support local organisations, such as the Volunteer Fire Brigade, as well as carrying out many other activities.   We had a most enjoyable time on what was a cold and rainy evening outside.  Thank you Pencarrow Rotarians.

A question from the floor for the DG.

 

Collaboration is the name of the game for Wellington North Rotary

PDG Ross George, Margaret & PDG Morris Robertson, Denise and DG Martin, AG John and Lane Mohi,
Sheryl & PDG Tony Fryer

I believe the collective noun associated with my former occupation as a public servant is a "Shuffle of Bureaucrats", although I don't think that does our hard-working public servants justice.  I'm not sure what the collective noun is for a group of Past District Governors (any suggestions?), but Wellington North Rotary had all three of their PDGs and some of their partners in attendance when Denise and I visited on Thursday.

The fact that Wellington North Rotary has three PDGs, AG John Mohi and others who serve or have served on District Committees, such as Margaret Emerre and Lionel Nunns, I believe strengthens their ability to be a collaborative Club that recognises opportunities, knows who to connect with and works with others to achieve success.

President David Bennett

We heard an update on the Timor L'Este nursing training project which involved several Clubs, and which received a Rotary Foundation global grant and is now developing further into the possibility of bringing nurses to New Zealand for training. Wellington North developed and shared the Healthy Heroes programme which has spread to other Clubs and other Districts, including in Australia.  They are engaging other Clubs in developing the Te Araroa walkway with plantings of trees and other amenities.  They are working with other Clubs to fund the fit out of an ambulance for the Wellington Free Ambulance service.

Wellington North Rotary, along with Karori Rotary, have both fully supported the establishment of our new Rotary Club, Kaukau Rotary - a tangible demonstration of collaboration with new and existing Clubs rather than a sense of being in competition.

There are many other activities Wellington North Rotary is involved in, including administering two trusts that assist students to have opportunities they may never otherwise have had and helping hospices.  They participate in Reading in Schools, and not just in their local area but further afield in Wainuiomata and Titahi Bay - and then there is RYLA, dictionaries in schools, blood pressure checks, running in the Round the Bays sporting Rotary-branded t-shirts, and so much more.

The Club is aiming to have 100 percent of members personally giving to The Rotary Foundation as individual Centurion Club members by the end of the year.  Wellington North Rotary is already giving an average of NZ$100 per member, making them a Centurion Club, but you can see the benefit they get from the Foundation by not only giving but also accessing grants to help them and other Rotarians improve the lives of others.

President David Bennett exemplifies how a busy person can still lead their Club with the support of other Club members.  David leads the Salvation Army's disaster response team so he never knows when he might be required and in recent times has been called to Nepal after their earthquake and Fiji after the recent cyclone.
 

Porirua Rotary takes on an ambitious project for their community while having a lot of fun

Every summer, musical and other performances are held at the Rotary rose garden at Aotea Lagoon to bring the community together through entertainment, but there is no protection from the weather.  Porirua Rotary recognised the need in its community for a permanent sound stage that would protect performers and their equipment while providing for more events at the Lagoon.  Project co-ordinator Don Casagranda and his team of Rotarians decided to design, raise funds and build the Aotea Lagoon Sound Stage.  They have made very good progress but still need more funding to build and complete the project and would welcome support from other Clubs.

Porirua Rotary is good at managing partnerships, such as working with the Council and others on the sound stage, with local Trusts and involving a local rugby Club in the pre-Christmas Toot for Tucker event collecting food for the local foodbank.  They are involved in lots of other activities, such as cleaning up after the weekly Porirua Market, Christmas wrapping fundraising at North City Plaza,      Dictionaries in Schools and the Healthy Heroes food programme.

Porirua Rotarian Wendy Creurer is our District Community Service Chair and also coordinates the Healthy Heroes programme, while Bronwyn Pullan has kindly agreed to help promote Cure Kids Red Nose Day which is on 18 November this year.  Rotary set up the Child Health Research Foundation which is now known as Cure Kids.

AG Lee Wilkinson, President David Stewart and DG Martin.
Photo credit: Paula Williams  

Porirua Rotarians also know how to have fun and it is important that we all enjoy Rotary both in our service and social activities.  They go out to movies, attend local theatres, hold guess who's coming to dinner evenings, 'raid' other Clubs and much more.  They even fundraise for polio by going out to dinner and, of course, the World's Greatest Meal to end polio is one activity I am encouraging Clubs to do this year (see the inside back cover of your District Directory).

It was a hats and tiaras theme when Denise and I attended their Changeover and when AG Lee Wilkinson and I visited Porirua Rotary on Wednesday evening, they told me at least eleven members and partners from their Club will be attending the District Conference in New Plymouth on the weekend of 21-23 April 2017.  We should have a great time there.

Women make up 68 percent of the membership of Porirua Rotary, while the percentage of women members across the whole District is only 23 percent.  We really do need to achieve a better gender balance across some of the other Clubs in our District by inviting more women into Rotary.

Petone is known for its good cafés, and Petone Rotary meets at a café as just one part of creating a modern, welcoming environment

It is not only the café environment that makes Clubs like Rotary Petone attractive and inviting.  It's also the welcome that every one receives when they walk into a café where there is a buzz of conversation and everyone is welcoming.

Denise and I were at the café on Tuesday evening and this is the second Club in two days where we have experienced a wide range of ages - from early 30s to the mid-80s in this case.  It is great to see Clubs that can appeal to a wide range of tastes and ages.

For a long time I have known Petone Rotary for the Petone Fair which started 25 years ago with only 14 stalls and now runs along much of Jackson Street with about 480 stalls.  This is a big annual project for the Club and, not only a major fund raiser, but also brings people together.  It attracts people from all around the region - I even met up there last year at a café with Whanganui Daybreak Rotarians.


The 2017 Hutt News Petone Rotary Fair will be held on Saturday 18 February.  Petone Rotary would like more Rotarians and friends to help them out at this event, so please mark this date in your diaries and contact the Club or see http://www.petonefair.co.nz for more information.

And Petone Rotary is also busy throughout the year with books being provided to schools at a local primary school and also to a school in Fiji.  But not only books - also refurbished laptops to a high school, primary school, community groups, and a school in the Tokelau Islands.

They support a rock concert which raises funds for a specific cause each year - last year Wellington Free Ambulance.  Petone Rotarians use their skills and experience to provide governance support for local organisations.  They sponsor students to RYLA, RYPEN, the National Science and Technology Forum and Hands-On Science in Otago.

Petone is also a Centurion Club, giving an average of NZ$100 per member to The Rotary Foundation's Annual Programmes Fund. And I am just scratching the surface, as there are many other activities Petone Rotary is currently involved in or is planning.

This is an active, generous Club with a growing membership.

Johnsonville Rotary's Facebook page gets up to 500 hits after events, they have a dynamic website and they get strong support from local media

Yao Meng, LinBin Wang and other Johnsonville Rotarians 

Things are on the move in Johnsonville.  The ages of members now range from 30 to 85.  

Younger members are being introduced to Johnsonville Rotary, bringing with them the skills to enhance the Club's ability to present itself to the public and help improve the lives of others in their community.

Take a look at their website for example (snapshot below), which is modern and dynamic, and created by Rotarian LinBin Wang.  Rotarian Yao Meng, who was also at my table, was Sergeant on Monday evening when I visited with AG Lee Wilkinson and he ran a very inclusive and fun Sergeant's session.

I always like to find out how many people in a Club are from Taranaki. If they are from Taranaki they will be going to the District Conference in New Plymouth from 21-23 April 2017, and if they are not from Taranaki they should be going to the Conference to explore Taranaki and learn more about Rotary and the challenges we face.  Not only are Lee and I from Taranaki, but so is Rotarian Ross Jordan who owns New World Newlands.  Ross not only supports Rotary but through his support of schools and other community activities is able to facilitate connections with Johnsonville Rotary.

Johnsonville Rotary also has a good relationship with, and gets great publicity from, the local community newspaper.  The Club's website has regular interest and their Facebook page gets up to 500 hits after functions and events.  They encourage a “Friends of Johnsonville Rotary” group which has a younger and more ethnically diverse profile.  We hope that they will one day become Rotarians.
The Club is involved in a range of projects, from Toot for Tucker to blood pressure awareness day, to Healthy Heroes, a project in Timor L'este and supporting disaster relief efforts - to mention just a few. They also help out at local schools (including a beekeeping project) and sponsor young people to RYPEN and RYLA.

Johnsonville Rotary also maintains its connections with the District, through President Vince Adams-Schneider (The Rotary Foundation District Grants Sub-Committee Chair), Roland Van Pragg (International Service Committee member) and Judith Gallocher (International Caravanning Fellowship in Rotary Lower North Island representative).  

 

Changeover events drive home how many thousands of hours and millions of dollars our Rotarians are contributing to their communities, while also having fun!

Marton Rotary President James O'Regan and outgoing
President Andrew Shand with DG Martin.

Thank you for all of the invitations Denise and I received for Club Changeover events.  Denise and I regrettably had to decline a number because of other commitments.

In the past month Denise and/or I have attended Changeovers at the Rotary Clubs of Makino, Feilding, Paraparaumu, Tawa, South Wairarapa, Kapiti, Porirua, New Plymouth North, Port Nicholson, Courtenay Place and Marton.



Last Sunday I was at Marton Rotary's Changeover on Parewahawaha Marae in Bulls.  It is a particular privilege to be welcomed on to a Marae and have the opportunity to talk about Rotary - where we have come from and where we stand as people of integrity, helping our communities and trying to increase intercultural understanding and peace.

Andrew White hands over to Chris Dungan
at Feilding Rotary. 

At all Changeover events we have felt very welcome and made to feel part of each Club.

Port Nicholson Rotary - Brent Gerrard
is awarded a PHF by outgoing President 
Linda Wellington.

Changeovers have ranged for informal to formal and from finger food to formal dinners.

Chef Martin Bosley prepares
a delicious salad at Courtenay
Place Rotary's Changeover.

Where entertainment has been provided, we have been treated to all sorts of musical performances - from musical interludes by local schools, barbershop, a band including a local Rotarian, Shakespeare performed by Rotarians, a demonstration by a
celebrity chef and in one case having to sing myself, with the support of other Rotarians.  Very enjoyable and it is great to see Rotarians having fun and celebrating their successes.

Hats and tiaras are the theme at
Porirua Rotary as Sarah Thompson hands
over to President David Stewart. 

It was stunning at each Changeover to hear how many activities each Club had carried out during the year and what they are planning for the future.  Our 55 Clubs are contributing thousands of volunteer hours each year from Waitara to Taihape to the Wairarapa and south to Wellington.


Each year we are raising funds that must amount to at least $2-3 million.  And each Club is contributing to its local and overseas communities in their own different ways.

Tawa Rotary incoming President Andrew Watson presents his Board.

Edwina Dittmer hands over
to President Kevin Darragh
at Feilding Rotary.

    

President Eddie Winkel  takes on the chains of office from
outgoing President Roger Sowry at Kapiti Rotary.

Paraparaumu Rotary where Marion Patchett became President after Reg Barlow.

Austrian and German students welcomed at Palmerston North airport

Most of the RIYE Committee are here with from left
first host Mum, Mandi Bates (Outbound Coordinator),
Lynne Phillips (Chair) and Karen Hird (Inbound Coordinator).

All six Rotary International Youth Exchange (RIYE) students for 2016-17 have now arrived in our Rotary District, with the arrival last week of students from Austria and Germany at Palmerston North airport.

Most of the RIYE Committee and many Rotarians from host clubs were there to welcome our new arrivals.

Jil arrived from Germany on Thursday and will be hosted by Milson Rotary in Palmerston North.  From Austria, Marielle and Alexandra arrived on Saturday. Marielle will be hosted by Clubs in the Whanganui Cluster and Alexandra by Feilding Rotarians.

DG Martin, Jil and Evan Kroll, President of Milson Rotary.

PDG Rodney Wong and Angela were coincidentally on the same flight from Auckland and were greeted by Rotarians as warmly as the students.

 We now have students in our District from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, and Switzerland.

Alexandra with her first New Zealand host family. 

We are grateful to the RIYE Committee, mentors, the families who will host our students and to the schools they will attend.  Not only the students, but also the host families, local schools, their students and Rotarians benefit from these exchanges.  

This is all part of Rotary providing young people with opportunities, expanding their horizons (and ours), showing them what they are capable of, improving inter-cultural understanding and working towards a more connected and peaceful world.

DGE Mitchell Brown counts the number of languages
that Marielle speaks. 

We also have great support from our District and Club youth protection people.  District Youth Protection Officer John O'Connell was formerly RIYE Chair for many years and wrote an article on youth protection in our July Newsletter at  http://rotary9940.org/stories/criteria-for-police-checks-for-rotary-clubs-and-members/

Retired lawyer John Grigg is our Liaison Officer for police checks.

I cannot emphasise enough how important it is that we follow our policy requirements for youth protection.  There is more information on our website at http://www.rotary9940.org/Page/youth-protection

Whanganui Rotarians await Alexandra's arrival.

I am sure all of our students from Europe will have a most memorable year and establish connections with New Zealand and Rotary that will last a lifetime.