Levin Rotary - ambitious and innovative projects locally and overseas help attract new members

Mark Conroy, Daphne Linnel. President Barry Rollinson, Linda Archer,
and PDG Allan Birrell inside the Charity House   

Denise and I finally visited Levin Rotary after last week's visit had to be called off due to flooding preventing us getting out of Wellington.

Levin Rotarians have taken on an ambitious project.  They are building a house that they will auction off to raise funds for a Trust that will provide Chromebooks to students in Levin.  They are receiving many generous offers of support from local businesses and tradespeople.

The Charity House provides great visibility for Rotary as it on State Highway 1 as you pass through Levin.


Levin Rotarians have also been out in the community for the 6 weeks selling raffle tickets in their annual trailer raffle.  They have been so successful this year that all 6,000 tickets have already been sold.  Since all of the prizes are donated they will make up to $12,000 for their charitable purposes.    

DG Martin presents President Barry with Centurion Club recognition 

They also support local youth in everything from Rotary programmes to other activities such as outdoor pursuits. These are just a few of their projects and they have plans for the future.  They are gearing up for another Rotary Cave Tour which takes people to all sorts of interesting backyard interests from a remote controlled raceway to classic cars and much more.  They are also planning a Hats and High Tea event around International Women's Day in March.


Levin Rotarians also look beyond their backyard.  Members have been involved in the recovery of Vanuatu after cyclone Pam by rebuilding schools. They are collecting a consignment of hospital beds, wheelchairs and other hospital equipment that they are planning to send to the Solomon Islands Namuga Hospital project.  They just need to find an inexpensive means of transport, so please let them know if you have contacts who can help.

DG Martin, new member Chris, and President Barry.

Levin Rotarians support the Rotary Foundation by donations and they know how to achieve their objectives through The Foundation.  This year they received two District Grants: one for a programme of early childhood hygiene education and the other for Chromebooks for students.

With all of their activity known to the community and publicised in media such as the Horowhenua News it's no wonder they are able to attract new members.  And they are even progressing the formation of a Satellite Club.

New Plymouth Rotary - helping the young and old and looking to the future

A couple of weeks before I visited New Plymouth Rotary they had held their fourth Annual Golf Tournament. They achieved great publicity in advance of the tournament where the local Midweek News and Stuff reported they were aiming to raise $10,000 for a hoist for the local hospice.  Strangely enough the hospice is built on the site of my grandparents' house.  New Plymouth Rotary exceeded expectations and raised more than $15,000.

As well as the hoist, New Plymouth Rotary has also donated $5,000 to the local hospital to assist in purchasing diagnostic equipment.

Among the many people they have supported this year are high school students to allow them to participate in the Get2Go competition in Auckland, RYLA and the National Science & Technology Forum, to name a few.

DG Martin, President Des, AG Colin Jackson 

I was impressed with the two-way relationship they have with New Plymouth Boys High School.  Not only do they support the school's students but they also involve students and the headmaster.  The headmaster spoke recently to all New Plymouth Rotary Clubs about what Rotary will look like in 10 years.  The students are helping the Club develop their new website on the Clubrunner platform.  

Another partnership they are working towards is with Habitat for Humanity where they hope to build a house to meet the needs of a local family.  I was taken through one of the houses Habitat for Humanity have built to the highest standards of insulation, double glazing and heating. New Plymouth Rotarians already have experience with housing as one of their Trusts owns apartments which they are currently renovating.

New Plymouth Rotary is adapting its structure and meetings to meet the needs of the future.  They only have two Committees - one focusing on the internal (Club administration and fellowship) and one on the external (projects etc). Every third week is set aside for Committee meetings and if there are 5 Mondays in a month, a Club Forum is held on that Monday.

Wellington South Rotary - a leading light in contributing to The Rotary Foundation and working with the Foundation to improve people's lives

President Nanubhai Ranchhod with The Rotary Foundation banner and Wellington South Rotarians (photo Denise Garcia) 

Wellington South Rotary was one of the Clubs I was responsible for a few years ago when I was Assistant Governor.  During those two years Wellington South Rotary won the cup for the highest per capita donation to The Rotary Foundation.

Today I was pleased to present them with a banner recognising that in 2015-16 they were the second most generous donors to The Foundation in our District on a per capita basis at over US$150 per person.  At the meeting they were already seeking further donations to The Foundation.

Rotarians and Plunket members
prepare for the Big Dig.

Wellington South Rotary is an exemplar of generosity to The Foundation and knows how to work through The Foundation to improve the lives of others.  They have successfully applied for three District Grants in the past few years and regularly interview candidates for Foundation scholarships. A peace scholar they sponsored returned from Edinburgh earlier this year.

They are also generous with their time - meals on wheels each week, the Big Dig Treasure Hunt with Kilbirnie Plunket every February, helping out at the Newtown Community Fair each March, selling Xmas puddings, and the list goes on.

They support all of the Rotary youth programmes, such as RYLA and RYPEN, and provide dictionaries in schools.

Terrace End Rotary - adapting to the needs of members and their communities

Goff Ashwell, DG Martin, Principal Sue and President Dennis Quinn 

It was a pleasure to visit Terrace End Rotary as they meet in the grounds of Massey University where I used to attend block courses for one of my Masters degrees.  The Wharerata Function Centre is a great venue for a Rotary Club meeting and the excellent company complemented the venue.

This is another Club that has adapted its meetings and activities to better meet the needs of members and its community.  They have two formal meetings a month and on the other evenings have a committee meeting and a social evening.  The success of this formula for Terrace End is that everyone usually turns up to each different type of meeting

Katrine organises Vicki Lee's Vera Lynn concerts.

Terrace End Rotarians support many youth activities from RYLA and the Science and Technology Forum to dictionaries in primary schools.

They have even built a bike jump track for Terrace End School as part of its Bikes in Schools programme.  I was shown the track and spoke with the principal who clearly values the difference that Rotarians and other volunteers are making at the school. The track is a great asset for the whole community and children from around the area use it.

Terrace End is also the Club that supports Vicki Lee with her Vera Lynn fundraising concerts.

President Dennis Quinn & DG Martin

As well as their many community activities, they make donations throughout the year to organisations such as Samaritans, Salvation Army, Big Brother Big Sister and Special Olympians.

They also held a very successful World's Greatest Meal recently to help eradicate polio, sent spectacles to the Pacific Islands and supported an irrigation project in Ethiopia.

Awapuni Rotary - catering for and meeting the needs of Rotarians and their communities

Awapuni Rotarians and RIYE student Jil enjoying their evening meeting.

PDG Rodney Wong and Angela, Acting President Ash Dahya and Erica of Awapuni Rotary have been known to Denise and I for several years.  I have also always known Awapuni Rotary as the Club that provides us with delicious lunch boxes every year at the District Training Assembly in Palmerston North.  So I felt very comfortable meeting their Club last week with AG Christine Jones.

I had also heard of their collaboration with Foxton Rotary where a skilled Awapuni Rotarian, Venkatesh Kannan, helped light up the Foxton water tower.  Have a look next time you pass by Foxton at night as it is spectacular.

Awapuni Rotary is a relatively small Club that is able to achieve great things.  They can cater for 200 people at the District Training Assembly, they can even cater for 600 people at the Awesome Awapuni free community day - and no doubt they could cater for even more. 

Food seems to be a bit of a theme as they are also great supporters of the Plant to Plate programme and gave a significant donation to that organisation when I visited.  Some of their members are heavily involved. Through this programme they support gardening and cooking in local primary schools, providing students with skills that will last a lifetime.   

But more than that, Awapuni Rotarians are engaged in many projects.  They support Canteen and mentor young people from ages 13 to 23 who have dealt with cancer, holding weekly meetings, helping them write CVs and similar, entertaining them and supporting both the young people and their families.  And Awapuni Rotarians are supporters of all Rotary youth programmes as well.

Forward looking, they are also considering how they may be able to help immigrants, who are often highly skilled, into appropriate employment. Well done Awapuni Rotary!

Milson Rotary - increasing membership over the years through social engagement and relevant projects

Jil from Germany updating the Club about
her adventures in New Zealand

The membership numbers of most of the Rotary Clubs in our District have declined in recent years.  Milson Rotary is one of the exceptions.  Their membership numbers have increased over the past five years.

After visiting 50 of our 55 Clubs, the formula for healthy clubs seems to be:

• Participating in relevant community projects
• Enjoying each other's company at social events in good surroundings and while carrying out community events.
• Being flexible in when and how we meet.
• Thinking outside of the immediate Club environment (e.g. hosting an RIYE student, engaging with the District - such as Assistant Governor and NZ Business Week Coordinator Christine Jones, Mandi Bates as Outbound Coordinator for Rotary International Youth Exchange, and Gary Dome involved in District Insurance and Risk Management).

Milson Rotarians are enjoying themselves and getting a sense of self-satisfaction, which is important for motivating Rotary volunteers ( we all need some encouragement and support), by hosting an RIYE student (Jil is just amazing and has so much potential) and by carrying out so many relevant community activities and fund raisers.

PDG Glen Caves, DG Martin and PDG 9970 Ellis Buchanan 

Milson Rotary has a project providing potable water from wells to communities in Myanmar, utilising 500 litre stainless steel containers.  Many of their members have been to Myanmar to oversee the water project and paint buildings such as classrooms.

Wouldn't it be great if all Clubs had a project they could all travel overseas to and participate in?  Just don't forget the RNZWCS Ltd insurance that will cover you as a volunteer working overseas rather than just as a tourist.  

In their local community, Milson Rotarians are planning one-kilometre markings and fitness equipment around city walkways. all with the Rotary emblem.  There are food bank drives, working bees for preschools and so much more that Milson Rotary is doing that I cannot capture it all.  Well done Milson Rotary!

Palmerston North Rotary - Youth Plus promotes citizenship and leadership for young people and more

When I visited Palmerston North Rotary they had just last weekend provided a very successful outing and lunch for Massey University international students to Cross Hills Gardens.  For many of the students this is their first time outside of their academic environment in Palmerston North, having arrived at the airport and being delivered straight to their university accommodation.

Youth is a key focus for Palmerston North Rotary which they have branded "Youth Plus".  Their overall goal is to promote citizenship and leadership for young people aged 5 to 25 years.  I encourage you to have a look at their Youth Plus website http://youthplus.co.nz/ for some ideas about youth projects.  They have even appointed Rotary youth ambassadors at several schools,

President Ron Schalkwijk

As well as Rotary programmes such as RYLA, RYPEN and the National Science and Technology Forum, they also provide or support the Rotary Youth Music Festival, Primary and Intermediate Students Speech Festival and much more.

The Youth Music Festival is an innovative idea that I think would work well in many other communities. On one day in May, school students playing a range of instruments are matched with cafés, providing talented music students with experience and exposure while entertaining cafe patrons.

Among many programmes for youth, the Icon Speaker series brings high profile speakers to as many as 250 to 500 students.  Previous speakers have been the Prime Minister, inspirational speakers Cam Calkoen and Jake Bailey, and comedian Terry Williams.

The stories Clubs tell are indicative of their culture.  A "can do" culture was demonstrated by the story of Palmerston North Rotarian Johan who persuaded a farmer to gift some land for the Sixtus Lodge Outdoor Education Centre which is now widely used by schools.

And then there are the many other projects and activities Palmerston North Rotarians are involved in.

Otaki Rotary - a diverse range of activities and strong supporters of The Rotary Foundation

President John Peters, Donna and others with Dictionaries for five schools. 

Denise, Assistant Governor Chris Garrett and I enjoyed meeting with Otaki Rotary last night and hearing about the wide range of activities they are involved in.

Otaki Rotarians are gearing up to cater for over 500 people who will be completing the Big Bang Adventure Race on Saturday 5 November.  After 5 to 7 hours of everything from mountain biking, hiking, and team building, participants will be met with a barbeque and salads provided by Otaki Rotarians to end their day.  

This is one of Otaki Rotary's big fund raisers, but the biggest is the summer trailer raffle.  When I've passed through Otaki several times in recent days I was pleased to see Interactors out with Rotarians selling raffle tickets, which allows Interact to fund some of their activities.  An Interact Club was set up at Otaki College last year and Otaki Rotarians act as mentors. 

President John Peters and DG Martin

Otaki Rotarians use their funds to meet local and overseas needs, such as for their youth by donating Duffy books and dictionaries to schools and supporting young people to RYLA, to name but a few. They provided a ShelterBox for Fiji in the aftermath of Cyclone Winston.  They are providing five lizard cages to the Foxton estuary wildlife area all marked with the Rotary logo.  They are also aiming to provide defibrillators throughout Otaki.  It's amazing how diverse our Clubs' activities are.

The Rotary Foundation finds strong support in Otaki.  Every member in the Club has signed up to be a Centurion Club member, to each donate a minimum of NZ$100 a year.  In November, with Levin and Waikanae Rotary Clubs, they are preparing to participate in the World's Greatest Meal to raise funds to end polio.

Next year they are planning a Rotary Foundation Big Centenary Meal celebration marking 100 years of The Rotary Foundation.  

Makino Rotary - community-minded with vision and plans to make a difference

At the Salvation Army Community Garden and site of the weather-protection pergola
Wayne Gordon, Andrea McKenzie, ADG Richard Wishnowsky, Wayne Jellyman, DG Martin, President Chris Dungan. 

Denise and I enjoyed visiting Makino Rotary in Feilding and hearing about what they have done and particularly what they are planning. The Mayor and two Manawatu District Councillors are members of Makino Rotary so they are particularly attuned to the needs of their community and have several projects in the planning stages - a clear indicator of a vibrant Rotary Club.

Makino Rotary is one example of Clubs in our District that are retaining and attracting members in our District because they have relevant community projects and are developing other projects.

We were shown plans of the pergola for weather protection that is being built at the Salvation Army's community garden so that voluntary workers will have shelter from rain and sun - and there was plenty of sun when we visited.

President Chris Dungan receives a Centurion Club certificate
on behalf of the Club from DG Martin 

We visited popular Victoria Park and were shown where Makino Rotary plans to build fitness stations around the walkway, using sponsorship from local firms and will also be displaying the Rotary logo.

We heard of the tree planting that they will be doing along the railway line to create a bird corridor. Projects like these with environmental outcomes are increasingly popular and particularly attractive to potential new and younger Rotary members.

Makino Rotary is a strong supporter of youth and have RYLA and Science & Technology Forum students already selected.  Their RYLA student, Daniel, was at the Club meeting and is already being made to feel welcome in Rotary.  They also support the Blue Light disco, which is staged for different age groups on the same day.  And there are many other activities they are involved in.

Makino Rotarians are strong supporters of The Rotary Foundation and received a Centurion Club certificate recognising they are one of only 17 Clubs in our District that donated more than NZ$100 to the Annual Programmes Fund of the Foundation.

Another sign of their generosity, is that many Makino Rotarians will be spending their time on Christmas Day hosting a community Christmas lunch with the Salvation Army.

Wayne Gordon, President Chris Dungan, Andrea McKenzie, ADG Richard Wishnowsky
Manawatu District Council Mayor and Rotarian Helen Worboys and DG Martin.

         
 

Marton Rotary - caring for all in the community and cleverly using local resources

DG Martin with staff and Trust member trying out the hoist.

There is nothing better than visiting Rotary Club projects and hearing from the people who either benefit from them or know how beneficial they are to people in the community.  Assistant District Governor (ADG) Richard Wishnowsky took me to two locations where Rotary is helping out in Marton.  At the older end of the age spectrum and at the younger end.

Edale Rest Home is a marvelous facility where Marton Rotarians have made a real difference. They have supplied a hoist and recliner chairs for residents as well as providing garden facilities.  The Board and staff are very appreciative of the continuing contribution Marton Rotarians are making.

ADG Richard, DG Martin, College staff and gardens behind.

Our next stop was at Rangitikei College which our ADG had attended himself (not so long ago, I'm sure), as had his wife Ngaire.  The teachers and Principal are really enthusiastic about what courses they can offer their students.  With Rotary's help they are able to offer several units involving growing plants and collecting honey.  Marton Rotary has provided the macrocarpa raised garden beds and the beehive, and it sounds like they will be able to provide even more in the future to enhance the learning of students.

Rotary Clubs like Marton never cease to surprise me, because when I met with the Board even more projects were raised.  I can't mention them all, but they are making the most of local opportunities.  For example, one of their larger fundraisers involves selling 10 litre and 20 litre buckets - to farmers, apiarists and others. The buckets are sourced as inwards goods packaging from a local food manufacturer - a local resource that would go elsewhere if Marton Rotarians had not seized the opportunity to use them to fund raise.

Marton Rotarians are connected with the wider Rotary community and know how to have a good time, so I am sure we will see many of them at the District Conference in New Plymouth in April.

DG Martin, AG Richard and Ngaire Wishnowsky