Its nearly half way through the Rotary year as our Clubs and District activities are being completed prior to the holiday break. And wow, I reflect on the year so far and can only but admire the many projects that Rotary have undertaken and the great achievements and contributions to our communities.
This Rotary month theme is Disease Prevention and Treatment month. It has been announced that the Rotary Centenary project for New Zealand and Australia to celebrate a 100 years of Rotary in our countries will be a Pacific Island countries immunization program in support of UNICEF disease prevention. The project will commence soon, culminating in a three years’ time with the centenary and charter 100 years ago of the first Rotary Club in New Zealand, the Rotary Club of Wellington. The club was chartered at the YMCA, Willis Street on the 7th June, 1921 and currently has 138 members.
We have the rare opportunity to have this year’s Rotary International President Ian Riseley and his wife Juliet in our District for an afternoon and evening on the 6th March 2018 in Palmerston North. We hope to host Ian and Juliet to the Wildbase Recovery Centre which will be near completion and then spend an evening with you - Rotarian's of our District, at a casual and relaxed (because that's what they like!!) function in Palmerston North.
More details in the next District Bulletin, but please book yourself the date and grab this opportunity to meet a great Rotary International President, a great Aussie and a great mate on the 6th March 2018.
Gary's Fijian adventure started many years ago when Johnston Luen,a class mate of his who sat near him (always in alphabetical order in those days) for 4 years at Dental School, told him about how he was going up into the South Pacific and providing free dentistry for the local inhabitants. This has proved to be a very worthwhile project utilizing rotary dentists. A few times they have let in non rotarians! Gary was given the opportunity to travel up and volunteer his dental services for the 2010 visit to Taveuni Island. He has returned with a group of four dentists every two years since leading the last group in 2016, for his fourth visit. Geoffrey Amos, who mainly now resides in Taveuni was in his working life, co-owner of Maurice Cain, a large textile supplier in NZ. He organises everything on the island including all the vehicles as well as the personnel, equipment and the timetable amongst the schools. They only have to organise the Dental portion of the programme and the funding.
The last team consisted of newbies, Dr's Ricky Gee from Lower Hutt, and Helen Cho from Hastings. Returning again they had Dr Ray Joe from Auckland and Gary Lawrence. This was the Rotary Volunteer Dental Teams 8th visit Taveuni Island.
The Project Team from the Rotary Club of Masterton South is pleased to report that their application for a Global Grant from The Rotary Foundation has been successful.
The Grant is for $US116,782 which is the total project cost and is to cover the purchase of the bus, its total fit out including medical equipment, the shipping costs to Rarotonga and for monitoring its impact on the Public Health Services in the Cook Islands.
For the past three decades, Rotary has worked with the global health community, Rotarians, and our Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners to rid the world of polio. In the year when the GPEI began this fight, there were more than 350,000 cases. This year, over a dozen cases have been reported. Every year, we take another step closer to realizing our dream of a polio-free world.
We have a long road ahead, and we need your continued support to raise funds, spread awareness, and keep fighting for a polio-free future.
Be sure to mark 24 October on your calendars for World Polio Day 2018, as we commemorate 30 years of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Well-known Fashionistas, High Rollers, and Rotarians & friends celebrated Melbourne Cup Day in fine style on Tues 7 November, at Paulownia Estate, courtesy of our delightful hosts President Vaughan & Christine Paul.
Polio Plus was the winner on Melbourne Cup day to the tune of some $1,050! Not only that, a superb time was had by all on a very sunny day. Many thanks are due to Christine and Vaughan for their well-practised hospitality!
Last year I approached the local Rotary Club and asked if IT could assist in funding additional Apple Mac computers for the school and our music department. Our vision was to create a Mac suite so students could increase their music literacy and also use the latest technology to improve their skills and capabilities, particularly with music composition.
Raising money is a difficult job and the requests for help are many for organisations such as Rotary but two Rotary clubs – Upper Hutt and Hutt River Valley – agreed to form a tripartite group with the school and apply via their Rotary District organisation for a matched funding grant from the Rotary Foundation.
It’s a long, long way from Taipei to Takaro, but 16 Taiwanese Rotarians made the journey to Palmerston North in time to join DG Mitch’s official visit to his own club in early November as part of a fun-filled – and fast-paced - visit to D9940 from 5-12 November
The Spirit of Adventure Trust has a key philosophy of ensuring all young New Zealanders are able to attend our youth development programmes regardless of their personal financial circumstances but maintaining the financial sustainability of the Trust.
The Trust is appreciative of the sponsorship and funding support, it receives from the various organisations, which enables it to meet those objectives. Accordingly, with some of those operating costs covered it does enable us it to charge a lower voyage fee to the student. Even then, it is still problematic for 47% of those who wish to attend, as they will seek further funding support.
ROTARY CONVENTION TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA 23-27 JUNE 2018
Dear fellow Rotarians,
We look forward to welcoming you to the 109th Rotary International Convention in Toronto, where you’ll find inspiration around every corner. The convention is an incredible opportunity to meet fellow Rotarians from around the world, exchange
ideas, and learn from each other. It’s the best way there is to celebrate a year of successful service and renew our energies for the year to come.
As a global center of business, finance, arts, and culture, Toronto is vibrant, friendly, and diverse — just like Rotary. And like Rotary, Canada’s largest city offers something for everyone: museums, restaurants and shopping, stunning architecture, and
easy access to the natural beauty for which Canada is justly famous.
This year will mark the 50th anniversary of Rotaract. From its beginnings as a small youth program in North Carolina, USA, Rotaract has blossomed into one of Rotary’s largest programs, offering opportunities for service, friendship, and growth to more than 291,000 young people in over 9,500 clubs globally. We look forward to welcoming
Rotaractors to Toronto and celebrating this milestone anniversary with them.
All through the year, as we serve in our clubs, we know that we are not alone, that we are part of a global organization that reaches nearly every country of the world. Our annual convention is a wonderful opportunity, the closest we can come to
meeting them all — the 1.2 million men and women in Rotary: Making a Difference.
I am pleased to advise we are only weeks away from opening up the booking link on our District Website for registration and accommodation that will get you to the Districts biggest event of the year - RotaFEST 18.
My thanks to Rotary Club of Palmerston North Rotarian and House of Travel owner Steve Parsons, who will assist us with the registration, accommodation and event booking platform for the whole weekend of the 11-13 May 2018. Steve has already booked placeholders for accommodation at the five closest hotels with 200 beds locked in to support the accommodation of our Rotarian's attending RotaFEST 18
Get ready to book your Rotary event of the year - RotaFEST 18, where you will be able to GO Wild About Rotary !
SCANDINAVIAN INSPIRED | NZ MADE | CHILDRENS' FURNITURE QUICK ASSEMBLY
SHOP ARC ASSISTANT COLLECTION
The team at Arc NZ Baby is offering Rotary Clubs Nationwide an easy way to fundraise this Christmas. For every item purchased from Arc NZ Baby from now until Christmas we're donating $5 to various charitable groups around NZ. Here in lies the opportunity for you and your fantastic club.
Arc NZ Baby features fantastic Christmas gifting items for babies and children. The two main collections include premium Christmas gift bags for children and the Arc Assistant Collection. Please see the details on our website: www.arcnzbaby.com
First introduced to Wellington in 2009 by the Rotary Club of Wellington and held annually ever since, Jumbo Tennis is a fun, quick-fire, team event, played with oversized racquets. Played to the same rules as Table Tennis (players take alternate hits), Jumbo Tennis 7s has captured the attention of the corporate world for its entertainment, hospitality, camaraderie and support for local charities.
Generous support from Nonsuch Consulting, the major sponsor of the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Wellington tournaments have enabled these events to raise significant funds for selected beneficiary charities.
“Our goal is to raise $30,000 and have a heap of fun while we’re doing it” says William Sommerville, the man behind the idea. The Rotary Club of Wellington donates the funds raised at each event to charity. Events held between 2011 and 2017 have raised between $20,000 and $30,000 each and beneficiaries have included Autism NZ Wellington Branch, Island Bay Marine Education Centre, Wellington Free Ambulance's Operation Heartbeat, Wellington City Mission, Malaghan Institute, and Wellington Junior Tennis. 2017 beneficiaries will be Menzshed Wellington, Wellington Children's Hospital, Island Bay Marine Education Centre and Wellington Junior Tennis.
This is about a NZ wide fund raising action, starting in only 3 weeks.
Our target is to finance (with a TRF global grant) a series of farming schools in the South Pacific islands which are the most threatened by the rise of the ocean level and climate change. These farming schools will focus on self sufficiency, organic farming and the preservation of water resources.
We successfully implemented such a project in New Caledonia South Province earlier this year, and two more in the Northern Province early next year.
The next step is the South Pacific islands...
We are desperately in need of support from the NZ Rotarians for this project.
There was an article about this project in the May edition of Rotary Down Under and Le Rotarien (the equivalent in France).
Dear 2017-18 Club Presidents, Club Secretaries, Club Treasurers, Club Membership Chairs, and Club Rotary Foundation Chairs:
We’re excited to share new resources to support your year as a club officer. The Learning Center now offers a courses for all eight club officer roles.
Rotary Kaukau is organising the Khandallah Village Street Fair on 10 December. Could you please let your members and friends know about our event. More info can be found on our website http://www.khandallahfair.nz and in the attached flyer.
On Friday 2 March 2018, we’ll be celebrating the tenth anniversary of Jumbo Tennis with the support of our lead sponsor, Nonsuch Consulting, New Zealand’s premier Project, Programme and Portfolio Management company. Those of you who have participated in Jumbo Tennis before will be familiar with the tournament - a day out combining teambuilding, eating, drinking and loads of fun all while raising funds for good causes.
Nonsuch Consulting Jumbo Tennis is organised by the Rotary Club of Wellington, and the proceeds go to charity, namely the Wellington Children’s Hospital, the Akina Foundation, and Tennis Central.
The early bird price (before 31 December) is just $550 + GST which entitles you to enter in a team of four. Your team will also get all the food and drink they need for the day included in that fee. Many of our teams are small to medium enterprises that see this as one of their key annual team-building days, at a fraction of the price of bringing in an external facilitator.
Its nearly half way through the Rotary year as our Clubs and District activities are being completed prior to the holiday break. And wow, I reflect on the year so far and can only but admire the many projects that Rotary have undertaken and the great achievements and contributions to our communities.
We have the rare opportunity to have this year’s Rotary International President Ian Riseley and his wife Juliet in our District for an afternoon and evening on the 6th March 2018 in Palmerston North. We hope to host Ian and Juliet to the Wildbase Recovery Centre which will be near completion and then spend an evening with you - Rotarian's of our District, at a casual and relaxed (because that's what they like!!) function in Palmerston North.
The team in Rarotonga
Another case in Afghanistan friends – takes total to 16.
For the past three decades, Rotary has worked with the global health community, Rotarians, and our Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners to rid the world of polio. In the year when the GPEI began this fight, there were more than 350,000 cases. This year, over a dozen cases have been reported. Every year, we take another step closer to realizing our dream of a polio-free world. 
Polio Plus was the winner on Melbourne Cup day to the tune of some $1,050! Not only that, a superb time was had by all on a very sunny day. Many thanks are due to Christine and Vaughan for their well-practised hospitality!
Raising money is a difficult job and the requests for help are many for organisations such as Rotary but two Rotary clubs – Upper Hutt and Hutt River Valley – agreed to form a tripartite group with the school and apply via their Rotary District organisation for a matched funding grant from the Rotary Foundation.
To name but three areas.jpg)
Empowering Youth to 
I am pleased to advise we are only weeks away from opening up the booking link on our District Website for registration and accommodation that will get you to the Districts biggest event of the year - 
First introduced to Wellington in 2009 by the Rotary Club of Wellington and held annually ever since, Jumbo Tennis is a fun, quick-fire, team event, played with oversized racquets. Played to the same rules as Table Tennis (players take alternate hits), Jumbo Tennis 7s has captured the attention of the corporate world for its entertainment, hospitality, camaraderie and support for local charities.
Contact Bev Wells if you are interested in attending
Gift vouchers are available - these would make wonderful Christmas presents.
On Friday 2 March 2018, we’ll be celebrating the tenth anniversary of Jumbo Tennis with the support of our lead sponsor, 
