I can’t believe how fast time is flying by, but it could be something to do with how busy we all are.
I have visited Plimmerton Club to help celebrate their very successful Garden Tour fundraiser. I also went to Hutt Valley club and to Whanganui North, where I had the pleasure of presenting a certificate from PRIP Stephanie Urlich to Graeme Myers who has been in Rotary for over 50 years. In between I went to a function to celebrate 20 years of the Wellington Hospitals Foundation.
The highlight of the last 2 weeks was the gala dinner at Government House to acknowledge 25 years of ShelterBox Aotearoa which is a fundraising affiliate of ShelterBox International which is a relief charity that provides emergency aid to families around the world who have lost their homes to disaster or conflict. (Which reminds me to ask you to get behind our Shelterbags project - see later in the bulletin).
The party at Government House was to be hosted by the Governor General Dame Cindy Kiro but she had the opportunity to go to Antarctica so ex-Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand graciously stepped in as host. As he was already my guest at the event, I accompanied him. All my fellow NZ DGs were there together with about 100 invited guests from around the country representing ShelterBox, Rotary and Inner Wheel as well as other entities.
It was a fabulous evening which included songs from Africa and Ukraine sung by the Wellington Community Choir, and a beautiful menu representing several of the countries where ShelterBox are involved. There were video messages from Queen Camilla and Dame Judi Dench, among others. At the end I was asked to announce the new District Governors’ ShelterBox Ambassador Prize. Clubs will be invited to nominate candidates. One lucky person will be sent to attend induction training at ShelterBox HQ in Truro, Cornwall from 13-15 October 2026. On their return they will form and manage a national community of Rotarians who will act as a bridge between Rotary Leadership and ShelterBox. The inaugural winner will be announced at our Summit in Napier in March
All the New Zealand DGs at the dinner at Government House for the 25th anniversary of ShelterBox.
Two weeks ago, South Wairarapa club hosted their Annual Charity Bike Ride. Unfortunately, there was a tragic accident and a participant died. This has been traumatic for everyone involved and is subject to a police enquiry. While there is no indication of liability on the club, it is a timely reminder to clubs to make sure that you have up to date safely management in place for every event.
I’ve already had several invitations to Christmas functions. Please don’t be offended if I can’t make it as several of them clash on the same day. I am looking forward to getting to as many as I can. In some instances, DGE Brent or DGN Chris are going in my place so we can get to as many as possible. I am planning on getting to everyone else in the new year.
We have reorganised our archives and severely culled extraneous material. We are paying for a storage facility and will put important documents in storage if it is required. We will not be storing any clubs’ memorabilia so please make other arrangements for unwanted goods. We would like a person to volunteer to run the archive for us, please reach out. It is stored in Kapiti.
Lastly, congratulations to PDG Jennie Herring from Auckland who is the new Chair of the Regional Council. Also, to PDG Liz Courtney from Christchurch who is chair of Learning & Development for the Regional Council. We are happy to finally see some New Zealand representation at the table. PDG Mark Wheeler will take over as Chair of ROZOPS 6 months earlier than originally scheduled, and PDG Wayne Gordon will be our District Representative on ROZOPS. DGE Brent Gerrard is chair of the New Zealand Rotary Club Charities Trust (NZRCCT).
A quick but important reminder that we need clubs to register for our upcoming Special AGM to approve the new Constitution on Sunday, 14 December at 4pm on Zoom.
Achieving a quorum is essential, and we’re getting close to the deadline — so if your club hasn’t registered yet, please do so.
For Rotarians in the District: It is time for you to act. Nominations are due with the RYLA Chair by 15 December 2025. The information pagetells you where to go to get the forms for Applications.
For sponsors and candidates wishing to be considered, please contact your nearest Rotary Club. You can find your nearest club from the district club list here.
Shelterbag Project - a Nationwide response by Rotary to rough sleeping homeless
Urgent Funding Needed!
The Shelterbag Project is a powerful Rotary initiative addressing the growing issue of rough sleeping and homelessness.
Last Tuesday, Seven Sharp ran a story on Shelterbags last week, and showcases the benefits that Rotary can deliver when working with community providers to offer comfort, dignity, and hope to our most vulnerable people on the streets – see first 5 minutes.
We’re hoping that appealing to the public for donations might help us get closer to the target. Seven Sharp have also put a donation link on their Facebook page to help with that.
As things stand we have currently 500 out of the 1200 bags to fill a 20’ container made and paid for, but we’ve called a halt on further manufacture until further funds can be secured. We know that more than 1200 will be needed.
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
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)
If you are going, get in touch with Judy Bain as there is a 9940 contingent going. Email judy.bain@me.com
Situations Vacant
District Secretary Assistant (July 2026…)
Would you like to play a key role in communication within our district by assisting our District Secretary - helping to disseminate key information to clubs and members, assisting with governance, administrative and logistical support for the District Secretary?
Keeping accurate records of district activities, key membership information, and other relevant data.
The District Secretary is a highly valued role which together with the 9940 District Board, provides the appropriate level of governance for our District management team. By providing administrative support, we can take the load from our Secretary and provide much needed support to the District.
District Youth Protection Officer
We all have a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of young people who are in our care, as well as protect and preserve the good name of Rotary. The NZ Government “Pastoral Care Code of Practice” is a statutory requirement whereby those responsible for the care of young people must be vetted through the Police vetting procedure.
The purpose of vetting is to minimise the likelihood of the more vulnerable members of society being put at risk by individuals who have displayed behaviour that could be detrimental to others safety and well being.
The process requires the Police “Consent/Request and Vetting Form” to be completed by any person over the age of 18 years, who is in a live in environment with any person under the age of 18 years. The most obvious examples are the RYPEN weekend camp or IYM.
Each club president and district chair has the responsibility for ensuring that the completed “Consent/Request and Vetting Form” together with the “Youth Volunteer Declaration” (in the case of RYE) is forwarded to the designated person on the district committee for collating and forwarding to the District Youth Protection Officer.
Linda Wellington, our current Youth Protection Officer will be retiring the position to take on the District Treasurer role in July 2026. We welcome invitations from members who would like to help in this very important space.
