Here we are racing towards Christmas 2025. Funny how it creeps up on you when it seemed so far away before.
Thank you to the clubs that have reregistered under the new Constitution. Over half the clubs have done it at this stage. Remember the AGM on Sunday 14th by zoom. If you don’t have the link, please get in touch with Adrian Gregory to get it.
Congratulations to the Kapiti Rotary club who, together with the Kapiti Lions and Total Span, have created a miniature but perfectly formed mini golf course (not a mini putt).
It even made it on to the front page of the DomPost on Monday (yes! Some of us still get a paper). It was officially opened on Saturday, debt free and run by volunteers. Every cent made will go back into the local community. It’s a wonderful achievement and is already very busy with forward bookings.
Nigel and I attended the Mt Cook School year 8 leavers celebration last Thursday night. Our club (Mt Victoria) supports the school and buys all the leavers (42 this year) a book of their choice. They all have to give a speech and for most of them, English is not their first language. I think there are 28 different nationalities at the school. It is a real privilege and fun to be there. Earlier we had given the school 75 Usborne dictionaries.
The next couple of weeks are busy with various events including Christmas parties, including our own club, Mount Victoria, Eastern Hutt, Plimmerton, Whanganui North and the Wellington club. Apologies to the clubs that I couldn’t fit in as the dates clashed (sometime 3 in one evening).
Around Wellington Santa arrived at Rotary events in Johnsonville, Tawa and Stokes Valley. Several thousand people lined the streets in Stokes Valley to watch the Rotary Santa Parade. Rotarians were also in action at the Thorndon Fair and next weekend will be at the Khandallah Fair. There are still several meetings and zoom sessions to get through before it all stops. Nigel and I will be mostly at our house at Himatangi Beach babysitting a granddog and walking on the beach but hopefully not doing much else.
Congratulations and thank you to you all for the hard mahi you have put in during the last 6 months. You are making a difference in your communities. We all deserve a break to refresh and recharge the batteries.
We will put out one more short District Dispatch before Christmas.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards programme 2026 is go !
We may have time to squeeze in a couple more candidates for RYLA 2026 but you will need to be very quick! Our story about Emma Middlemass has helped to raise awareness of the excellent Blue Team we have leading the RYLA programme and the fabulous feedback we get every year about RYLA.
Emma was a RYLA participant in 2021 and joined the leadership team (the Blue Team) in 2022, and has been the Programme Director since 2024 (along with Janis Baker). Emma has recently returned from the RYLA Elevate programme in Sydney, and shared her life changing RYLA experience her. Emma was nominated and sponsored by the RYLA 9940 committee to attend the Elevate programme.
“Go Fast Alone. Go Far Together” was the slogan of RYLA Oceania’s Elevate which I have had the enormous privilege of attending in the Blue Mountains, Australia this past week.
Elevate is the flagship programme of RYLA Oceania designed to bring together leaders from all across Australia and New Zealand - most of whom have participated in a RYLA programme within their district before - to recharge, reconnect and rise to the next level of their leadership journey.
It was spectacular! I don’t think my brain has stopped whirring since getting off the plane and hitting the ground running back here in NZ. I feel invigorated and deeply grounded and connected to my purpose, goals and community. RYLA opened the door to this, and Elevate has provided a further match to the fire to ignite even further growth and expansion through the delivery of impactful tools and strategies, reflection and connection.
Shelterbag Project - a Nationwide response by Rotary to rough sleeping homeless
Urgent Funding Needed!
We are still looking for more funds for The Shelterbag Project… it's a powerful Rotary initiative addressing the growing issue of rough sleeping and homelessness.
To date we’ve placed an order for 600 bags for manufacture, out of 1200 that would fill a 20’container – so still room to add. We’ll be making a call in late January what the final number will be, and we’ll ship what we can so that we can at least meet the target too have them in NZ before winter starts.
Whanganui are working with the City Mission to get their 40 ordered bags working. In New Plymouth where we have already provided 40 bags, the YMCA have requested another 50 (which we have currently funded) to expand their reach around the rest of the province. We’ve had nothing but positive feedback on how the program is being managed in Taranaki and the difference it is making for people using them.
We are currently about $6,000 away from being able to order a further 100 bags for manufacture. Be great if that could come from our District. Currently there are about 150 rough sleepers in Wellington alone, but at the moment there are no bags that can be assigned to them. Any money raised from your clubs will buy the shelterbags to go into your community (in case that was a question)
Charitable Donations should be made to: ROZOPS Ltd 06-0193-0905286-007 using “Shelterbag” in the particulars field and your club (or individual name) in the reference field.
Donation receipts are issued at the end of the month by Kirsten Hawke, Kirsten@astillhawke.co.nz , but she’ll need to be able to match the donation to the person, so best for people to email her to pass on donation detail, name, and email address for receipt.
This compassionate effort will help “Provide Comfort and Dignity for the Homeless Rough Sleepers in New Zealand.”
We need to order some minimum numbers ASAP…hit ‘Read more’ for details…
For further details or to confirm your club’s support, please contact: Len Houwers – Rotary Club of Waitara 📧 len.houwers@aretelimited.com 📞 0274 445 861
We're still looking for help with District roles….
District Archivist
The District has a number of records that need archiving. We also have a number of records already archived. If you to are keen to use your skills to help with managing our important district archives, then please contact me at brent.gerrard@outlook.com
As part of our tradition, each District Conference features a memorial display honouring current and former Rotary members who have passed away during the preceding year.
For the Summit for Oceania 2026, the organising committee has begun gathering these names, along with photographs, to create a respectful and meaningful tribute.
We are asking all Clubs within the District to begin compiling this information.
Please forward the details of all current and former members who have passed away since 1 May 2025.
Information Required
Full name
Preferred/known name
Rotary Club(s) they belonged to
District
Years of Rotary service
Positions held (e.g., District Governor, Assistant Governor, District roles, Club President)
