Te Ao Hurihuri
The world moves on.
 
May is Youth Services Month.  Rotary has many longstanding programmes that benefit youth. The International Youth Exchange networks, RYLA and RYPEN are three such examples.  New programmes include support for the Wellington Regional Children’s Hospital and the centennial project, Rotary Give Every Child a Future.  Many clubs prioritise youth initiatives in their planning and delivery of service programmes. The past 100 years is absolutely loaded with outstanding examples of Rotary supporting young people from our communities. 
 
 
 
Our organisation has consistently been responsive, adaptive, creative and very well organised. Today we are meeting the many challenges presented by the COVID 19 https://covid19.govt.nz/communities/ lockdown in the same manner.  Individual Rotarians, clubs, clusters and the District teams have embraced a variety of virtual opportunities and are continuously building new formats and acquiring new skills to keep our friendships and service ethic alive and well.  We are guided by the Government’s COVID 19 advice as we turn our thinking towards the evolving shape of Rotary changeovers, training, meetings and service projects.  
Sharing ideas within and between clubs is proving to be very helpful.  The world of the future will move on in ways we can and cannot predict.  We will embrace that world and we will continue to make our mark within it.  We have two precious drivers to aid us.  One is the foundations of our values-based organisation.  The deep friendships we have nurtured through service over many years reflects the core values of Rotary.  The other is the organisational momentum embedded in our regular cycles of meetings, projects, AGMs, training and education.  Add to that changeovers, awards, and renewal through the recruitment of members into new responsibilities.  These processes keep Rotary fresh.  They keep us focussed and keep us challenged.  Together they make us a creative learning organisation second to none.
 
At this time of the year we are in the final months of putting the remaining touches into place for our next Rotary year.  We need to help each other to fill all the leadership roles at every level in our organisation and take care to support the new incumbents.  Goal setting and budgets can be both a challenge and an opportunity.  Clubs are encouraged to include the purchase of at least one box of the Rotary Mana Tangata History book ($420.00 buys a box of 12 copies) in their budgets for the centenary year.  This is at a discounted cost $35.00 per book for clubs.  The book will have a RRP of $50 and will be the definitive volume of our Rotary century!  Clubs planning their own centenary celebrations during the next decade are encouraged to contract the services of Dr Stephen Clarke drstephenclarkenz@gmail.com , our historian, as a collaborating team member when planning their centenary.  Dr Clarke has become a real New Zealand and Pacific Rotary reference expert. 
 
You may recall our District AGM was set for the conference weekend.  Conference has been cancelled.  A virtual AGM is confirmed and will be, as scheduled, on Sunday, 17 May 2020 at 8.30 am.  The ZOOM address for that meeting is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85043277014?pwd=d0NnZTQvRGdRd2c5WmhlaGVBZmtRQT09 .  The AGM  agenda, is as per the constitution, and will be sent out next week.  We also plan to announce the DG Nominee elect for 2022-23, near to the AGM time, subject of course to the usual confirmation process requirements.
The District Assembly set 17 May, 2020 has been reset as a mostly  online opportunity.  Details are now available from our District Training  leader, PDG Mitchel Brown mitchbrown@xtra.co.nz
 
So, Te Ao Hurihuri, the World Moves On.   But in many ways it remains familiar and unchanged.  Our organisation is like that too. I  really appreciate both these aspects of Rotary.
 
Take care and plan ahead well
Kind regards
 
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou katoa
 
John H Mohi
 
Rotary Connects the World
Together We Connect
Ko Tātou Tātou e, together we are one