Taihape Rotary - making the most of opportunities

AG Richard Wishnowsky, Rotarian and Councillor Ruth Rainey,
DG Martin and President Diana Turney

Twenty-five years ago Taihape Rotary spotted an opportunity.  The Kawhatau Valley School was closed down and Taihape Rotarians converted the school into the Kawhatau Outdoor Education Centre.  They trucked in additional buildings and now the facility is used for RYPEN (Rotary Youth Programme for Enrichment) and by various other groups.

DGE Mitchell Brown and DG Martin on the Taihape turntable.

For 25 years the Rotary Club of Taihape has been running RYPEN and I recognised this achievement by awarding a District Paul Harris Fellow Award to the Club.  The award recognised that achievement and the enduring impact that RYPEN has had on young people who have attended this programme.

Members of the Rotary Club of Taihape are enthusiastic, committed and generous in their continuous support for RYPEN.

While RYPEN did not proceed this year due to a combination of circumstances, DGE Mitchell Brown, AG Richard Wishknowsky and I had a very useful discussion with Taihape Rotarians to scope a way forward to ensure the programme proceeds next year.  Taihape Rotarians were appreciative of the positive support some other Clubs had conveyed to them when RYPEN was cancelled this year.

Taihape also spotted an opportunity when they restored the train turntable.  Steam trains are still using this valuable asset.

Taihape Rotarians are now working with the Rangitikei District Council to build a lookout on Mount Stewart that will replace the lookout damaged by a bush fire.

They are involved in many other community activities, including running the famous gumboot throwing competition.

Rear from left: Dianne McKinnon, Michael Andrews, Graham White, Ruth Rainey
Front from left: Jan Byford, President Diana Turney, DG Martin, Bill Byford 

Feilding Rotary - a beautiful town with rural resources for their community

Ngaire, Russell and Austrian exchange student Alexandra. 

We hear about some long-running projects in Rotary, but did you know that Feilding Rotary has been running the Christmas Cave for 49 years with about 2,800 adults and children each year taking part.  There are various displays and entertainments to attract people and to bring the community together.

As a member of a suburban Rotary Club (Tawa) it never ceases to amaze me how Rotary Clubs in rural service centres make the most of their resources.  They split and sell firewood, they sell real Christmas trees and they make barbeque tables from scratch - to name just a few activities.  

PDG Ross Murray, PP Edwina Dittmer,
Professor Swee Tan and Ngaire Leins.

When Denise and I visited, I heard about Bill's Walk where farmers provide access to their land for a 20 kilometre walk and, if you get there on time, an ice block at the clock tower when you finish.  

By the way, Feilding has won the title of most beautiful town for the 15th time.  Rotary International Youth Exchange student Alex from Austria was certainly enjoying Feilding and Feilding Rotary's hospitality, as were AG Richard Wishnowsky, Denise and I.  

As well as being great supporters of local social services and their youth, Feilding Rotary looks further afield.  As strong supporters of The Rotary Foundation they successfully applied for a District Grant which allowed them to purchase a light microscope and adjustable pipettes for the Gillies McIndoe Research Institute led by Professor Swee Tan.  Generous donations like this from Rotary Clubs like Feilding could be instrumental in alleviating suffering from diseases such as cancer. 

Denise Garcia, PDG Ross Murray, DG Martin, PDG Eric Linklater, President Kevin Darragh.

Wanganui North Rotary - relevant local and international projects and innovative activities leading to increased membership

Cranleigh Chainey, DG Martin and
a giant Northern Rata in the background.

I always have a pair of hiking or work boots in the car because Rotarians work everywhere and you never know when you are going to need them to see a project, particularly as it has been so wet lately.  And I needed my boots when I visited Bushy Park.

Wanganui North Rotarians, including our District Governor Nominee Marion Johnston, took me and Assistant Governor Nigel Ramsden out to see the work they have been doing at Bushy Park.  The project involves tree planting, wetlands restoration, conservation and education for school children.  Macrocarpa benches and railing have been provided while tracks are being installed or repaired.

What a peaceful venue.  Amazing to see the kereru, saddlebacks and other birdlife. And the muffins at afternoon tea were perfect thanks to Margaret Chainey.

Wanganui North Rotary has been increasing its membership numbers now for some years and I think projects like Bushy Park combined with enthusiastic project leadership are part of the reason.    

Cranleigh & Margaret Chainey and Graeme Prince
take a well-deserved break.

The Club also invited along 10 prospective members to a recent meeting and have a list of more that they are going to approach, which will result in a further increase in numbers.

They provide artworks to the local hospital to improve the atmosphere for patients, they are preparing to run Carols by Candlelight and fund raise through quiz nights, a trailer raffle and other events to allow them to sponsor students to various Rotary programmes and support Emergency Response Kits - to name but a few of their many activities.

On 25 November they will be holding the Wanganui North Rotary Stakes with ERG rowing and other races to raise funds for a surgical toolkit for use in Samoa.  There is no permanent ENT surgeon in Samoa.  Every time Whanganui-based Samoan ENT surgeon Dr P.J. Faumui visits family he conducts clinics but he and other volunteer surgeons need top quality surgical tools to operate there. Wanganui North Rotary will be helping bring ear, nose and throat surgery to 25,000 children needing treatment in Samoa.    

Wanganui North Rotarians are innovative.  Rather than just deliver dictionaries to schools to low decile schools, they host a quiz night based on the content of the dictionaries and invite parents, teachers and students.  What a great idea!

Wanganui South Rotary - planning and collaboration to help others in need

Preparation is key to a successful project. 

It was a great time to visit Wanganui South Rotary last week as I was able to hear about the planning that goes into the annual food bank drive that they have coordinated for the past 25 years.  I was impressed with the preparation that goes in to making this drive so successful.  They coordinate drivers, collectors, both Rotarians and non rotarians, as well as students from Wanganui Collegiate.  

Health and safety is an important part of the preparation with briefings before and on the day.



The other Rotary Clubs in Wanganui all lend a hand, which is a great example of Clubs collaborating for the greater good.  The Wanganui Clubs also share fund raising from car parking for the riverbank markets. As part of the World's Greatest Meal, all of the Wanganui Clubs will also be collaborating to arrange a meal to raise funds to eradicate polio and a thousand people are likely to participate.  

This year's collection on the 20th October proved to be very successful and the amount of food collected surpassed other years.  Wanganui South Rotary had wonderful help in advertising the event through the local press and radio stations as well as sandwich boards in supermarket entrances.

This is only one project that Wanganui South Rotary carries out each year.  They provide meals for needy families at Christmas, support Emergency Response Kits, support all of the Rotary youth programmes by sponsoring students, provide scholarships for tertiary students and to the Walsh Flying School to name but a few.

Whanganui City Mission guests speak to Rotarians about the food bank drive.

Wanganui Rotary - building on tradition to create change in their Club and community

DG Martin, President Dot McKinnon, PDG 9980 John Henderson, PDG Bob Smith

Wanganui Rotary is one of the oldest Clubs in our District.  The Club was chartered in 1924 (the same year as Palmerston North Rotary), just 3 years after Rotary was established in New Zealand. I am impressed with Wanganui Rotary's Strategic Plan which connects Rotarians with their history while keeping them moving forward with a focus on projects.

Their projects are diverse - ranging from the annual book fair, to development of the Westmere Walkway, Kowhai Park maintenance, to reading in schools and many other youth programmes.

I was privileged to visit the Matipo Street Gardens where Wanganui Rotary is supporting local grassroots leaders develop community gardens to not only help feed their local community but also provide horticulture training as a pathway to employment.  Their vision is to help people in the area faced with challenging situations make choices to change through education and training - including horticulture, literacy, numeracy and parenting skills.    

Wanganui Rotary's age range of membership is wide - ranging from Rotarians in their early 30s through to post-retirement - so they are well-prepared to keep serving Wanganui for another 92 years.
Several new members have been inducted recently and, during our visit, Denise and I witnessed the induction of yet another new member.  Wanganui Rotarians are also exploring the establishment of a young professionals group or a satellite Club.

 

Whanganui Daybreak Rotary - a new Interact Club and scoping new project activity

President Shane King receives a Centurion Club Citation.

It was no problem at all for Denise and I to attend Whanganui Daybreak's breakfast meeting as we were staying at the venue so didn't even have to drive.

Whanganui Daybreak is a relatively new Club compared to many in our District as it was chartered in 1998.  In this time they have been able to achieve a huge amount, including establishing the SHINE Interact Club last year at Whanganui Girls College.

While they have established traditional projects and fundraising activities, they are still actively scoping and planning new projects.

Creating a new Interact Club provides a great incentive to find projects that will be interesting to Interactors and club members.  Earlier this year I saw Interactors and Whanganui Daybreak Rotary marshalling traffic at Whanganui Airport for the inaugural Air Chathams flights.

Now they are planning to plant in wetlands and are scoping whether they can develop exercise stations around Whanganui.

While women members make up only 23% of membership across the whole District, I am pleased to see that they make up 59% of membership in Whanganui Daybreak Rotary, one of only two Clubs in our District where there are more women than men.

Hutt River Valley Rotary - a vibrant Club serving their community

Hutt River Valley Rotary have a number of interesting and fun-filled events on their immediate calendar.  Soon they will be holding a World's Greatest Meal event to coincide with Diwali. In November they will be holding a purple polio fundraising evening and on another date a Red Nose evening.

Recently they visited the Learning Connexion and created a vibrant painting (at left) that they will auction or raffle to raise funds.

By creating an environment in which members have a lot of fun while raising funds and working on community projects they ensure members remain engaged.

Denise and I had a very enjoyable evening with Hutt River Valley Rotarians.  I even caught up with someone I worked with 41 years ago when I first came to Wellington.

Hutt River Valley Rotary have a wide age range with many of the younger ones taking on leadership roles in the Club, which is a very good model for succession planning.

They have a keen interest in supporting youth and one example of this is the 320 dictionaries they are providing to schools in the Hutt Valley, Wainuiomata and wider afield.

As well as their community service and support of overseas initiatives, they are traditionally strong supporters of The Rotary Foundation.  Keep up the great work Hutt River Valley Rotary while having interesting and fun times.    

Raetihi-Ohakune Rotary - a warm welcome in the scenic Ruapehu district

Raetihi-Ohakune Rotarians meet in the shadow of Mount Ruapehu.  I brought along my pull-up banner for the District Conference which shows Mount Taranaki, mindful also of the connection in Maori legend between Taranaki and the mountains in the centre of Te Ika-a-Maui.

Raetihi-Ohakune Rotary connects people across the community, for example by splitting and supplying firewood to the elderly with help from young people who need to achieve service for their Duke of Edinburgh awards.  A major fundraiser involves delivering phone books to their communities.

We met in the historic Country Classic Lodge on the outskirts of Raetihi.  This is a very large Victorian villa with various collections of interesting items on display in different nooks and crannies. Dinner was downstairs before we retired upstairs for a very enjoyable evening, including re-inducting a member.

Raetihi-Ohakune Rotary is a strong supporter of local youth, such as providing prizes for two Duxes at Ruapehu College (academic and trades), supporting art supplies for learning by local youth, and supporting junior Rugby.

These are just a few of their local activities and they also look overseas by supporting Emergency Response Kits and responding to disasters such as the Nepal earthquake.

I'm told this part of the country is getting very busy not only in winter for the ski season, but also in summer, and I am sure you would be as welcome as I was made if you are in the area when a Club meeting is being held.

Pahiatua Rotary - in touch with their community and "On Track"

Pahiatua Rotarians meet at the Purple Haze Lavender Cafe which is such an idyllic setting. There were not only the manicured lavender plants but also the country setting and sounds, including one calf that bellowed for much of the evening.

The venue and company made for a really enjoyable evening and I am sure this venue, along with their community activities, has helped Pahiatua Rotary increase their membership over recent years.

Their projects sound like great fun - such as, the golf tournament, trolley derby, casino evening, market day and the Christmas Parade and Teddy Bears' picnic, to name but a few.

And all the while they are supporting their youth and funding Emergency Response Kits and much more.  Pahiatua Rotary works closely with their Community Board "Pahiatua On Track" so they are very much in touch with the needs of their community.

They are currently jointly working on a Wheels Park for just about anything on wheels, such as skateboards and bikes. Keep up the great work Pahiatua Rotary.

President Jill Woods, Diana and PDG Bill Carthew, DG Martin and AG Kevin Conroy.

 

Karori Rotary - generous in many ways

President John Barton receives Centurion Club recognition for the Rotary Club of Karori. 

Karori Rotary, with the support of Wellington North Rotary, sponsored the new Kaukau Rotary Club. It takes a Club that places Service above Self at the Club level to establish another Club rather than to just focus on building its own membership.  The really pleasing outcome is that both Karori and Kaukau Rotary have had significant increases in membership numbers since 1 July.

PDG David Watt - from Tawa Rotary originally. 

Karori Rotary is also one of only 17 Centurion Clubs in our District - those Clubs who last year gave an average of NZ$100 or more per Club member to the Annual Programmes Fund of the Rotary Foundation.

Karori Rotary partners with other Clubs on projects as well.  A recent example that I reported on in our District Facebook page is the commercial garden in Samoa in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Wellington.  Karori Rotary has also teamed up with the ANZ Bank to hold breakfasts in Karori with high profile speakers.  For example, I recall attending one breakfast where Finance Minister Bill English spoke.

Just one of their many projects I would like to highlight is the work they have done with Zealandia and other Wellington Rotary Clubs to establish the Outdoor Education Centre which will carry the Rotary brand.

Photo credits to David Sercombe.

Stratford Rotary - a long history of activity in local and overseas communities

DG Martin & President Peter Doyle

The Rotary Club of Stratford is small in number but their members are very connected to and active in their community and overseas communities.  Like many Rotary Clubs in rural centres, the local Mayor is a Rotarian and was present on the evening. 

Stratford Rotary has been helping out with meals on wheels since the 1980s and has run a sausage sizzle in the main street since 1994. They have sponsored students on RYPEN and RYLA.  

They are strong supporters of literacy and ask local farmers to donate to allow dictionaries to be provided to local schools.  They provide a children's book to every baby born in the area. 

They recently raised $750 to help end polio by hosting a Vera Lynn concert with singer Vicki Lee.  

They have been raising funds for water pumps for Nepal by selling pashminas.  The vision is to change society through sustainable community development based on social, economic, political and gender equality.

During my visit, I was particularly privileged to be presented with a range of Taranaki's best cheeses. The blue cheeses are my favourite so far. 

Waitara Rotary - the furthest north and like no other

DG Martin and President Murray Grimwood

Waitara Rotary is the most northern of the Rotary Clubs in our District.  Waitara was where I first learned to surfcast as a 14-year old and caught my first kahawai. But not before a local had seen that I did not know what I was doing and taught me how to use a spinner.  It was great to return to this area.

The Rotarians of Waitara are likewise generous and willing to lend a hand in their community. They have recently given $10,000 towards an angioplasty machine and contributed funds to the TRUS prostate biopsy machine for the hospital.

They raise funds in many innovative ways - at the woodcraft festival, through fertilizer sales that are delivered all year round (this is a great fundraiser for rural communities), manning the gate at the Urenui Rodeo and raffles for items such as wood-turned articles.

I was amazed that, among their many community activities, Waitara Rotary gave 263 dictionaries recently to 17 local schools.  Well done Waitara Rotary!  They have also given dictionaries to Aitutaki in the Cook Islands and Samoa.  This is just one of the activities of this very active and generous Club.

They also look after their members by offering group trips.  Some of the most memorable have been to places we might not normally stop at such as Awakino, but I well remember in my younger days stopping there for my first taste of crayfish at a relative's bach.  North Taranaki has so much to offer and I encourage you to experience the area in April 2017.  

Waitara Rotary is one of the Taranaki Clubs that will be offering you a very memorable experience in Taranaki during the District Conference on the weekend of 21-23 April 2017.  Please take up the offer of Taranaki Clubs, because you will experience Taranaki like no other.    

New Plymouth West Rotary - a very special visit

DG Martin and President Mick O'Connor

My visit to New Plymouth West Rotary was very special for a number of reasons.

I was privileged to be presented with the tokotoko Taupiripiri which is the work of a Ngati Porou carver (one of my sons-in-law is of Ngati Porou affiliation).  Taupiripiri is the speaking cane of the Chief Spokesman and the name in simple terms means "walking arm-in-arm", togetherness".  Taupiripiri provides a Maori dimension to the office and role of the Governor of our District.

AG Colin Jackson, Polaiu'amea Kirifi, DG Martin,
Martin Chamberlain

From my school, the Club had invited the Principal of Francis Douglas Memorial College, Martin Chamberlain, and the head boy Polaiu'amea Kirifi.  Polaiu'amea gave a powerful speech earlier in 2016 that won him second place in the 2016 Race Unity Speech Awards, so I was under quite a bit of pressure to speak well. A classmate of mine is also a member of this Club and was in the audience.  He had belonged to the Interact Club that has since gone out of existence - perhaps we can reinstate it.  

New Plymouth West Rotary is involved in many projects locally and overseas and supports a range of youth programmes.

I visited the Trees for Survival project at Moturoa School and was impressed with the programme that has been developed to make this school an eco-school, educate students and provide them with life-long skills.  There was a real emphasis on cultivating and protecting rare and threatened Taranaki species.

Hawera Rotary - partnering with others to achieve an impact

Clubs like Hawera Rotary work closely with their community.  This weekend they will again be out in their community for the blood pressure campaign raising awareness of strokes.

I visited Hawera Rotary just a couple of weeks after they had held the 17th annual premier Paddy Manu Sports Awards.  Like many Rotary initiatives, this started small with just seven nominees for one award at a Hawera Rotary meeting.  Now it is a special major event on the South Taranaki calendar where up to two hundred people attend.  There are also several categories such as senior sportsperson, junior sportsperson, coach of the year and volunteer of the year.  And they have a partnership with local newspaper the South Taranaki Star.

Now Hawera Rotary is working with the South Taranaki District Council to set up a Hall of Fame.

Hawera Rotary demonstrates that a lot can be achieved by a relatively small Rotary Club working in partnership with others.