DGE Activities December 2011

Christmas was a chance for Chris and I to relax with family and friends before the hard work begins in 2012.  By the time you read this Christmas will be over and we will be in the States at International Assembly and our year as DG will be fast becoming a reality.  The big challenge for us over Christmas was to work out what to pack to take away given baggage weight limits and the large amount of NZ memorabilia and gifts we needed to take. 

December was a month of planning our District Committee structures and appointing Committee Chairs and Committee Members.  You do not realize just how many District Committees there are until you start ringing around to confirm existing chairs or appoint new chairs.  I have decided to make a change in Committee structure to more closely reflect RI committee structures and themes.  The support from across District has been tremendous and we now have in place all of the main chairs. Following on from this will be then need to start putting together the District Directory as soon as we return from the States – not a trivial task.  In early February we will be holding District Chair training and then it will be getting ready for Multi-District PETS. The District Changeover and Conference committee are continuing to work away and great progress is being made – our thanks for all the hard work.

So a short report from us this month but plenty of work has been going on behind the scenes.  We will look forward to reporting back following our 3 weeks in the States and time at International Assembly.

We hope you all had a great Christmas and Happy New Year.

DGE Activities November 2011

DGEs at Tawa training

There seems to been an endless number of courier boxes turning up from RI full of Rotary training material and information!  The heavy focus for Chris and I this month has been on completing Presidents Elect training and on 13 November we completed the second PE training session in Tawa.  Again, another successful day with lots of positive feedback.  PEs will now attend South Pacific PETS in Auckland in March next year which will see the PEs from across New Zealand coming together for a weekend - great sharing opportunity of ideas and aspirations.

Training well under way

Another highlight this month has been attending a Multi District Governors Elect (GETS) training in Brisbane for 3 days followed by District Institute for 3 days.  GETS saw 22 DGEs from Australia and 6 from New Zealand, along with DGNs, and DGs coming together.  We were lucky enough to have RI President Elect Sakuji Tanaka and his wife Kyoko with us for the week.  Sakuji and Kyoko were delightful to be with and although their English was a little difficult on a one to one all Sakuji ‘s speeches were delivered in English and well received.  Several impromptu hakas were performed (to counter the didgeredoo!!!), good training for International Assembly in January.

Following GETS District Institute was held.  One of the features of Institute this year was the invitation to several hundred emerging Rotary Leaders to attend.  A number of inspirational speakers gave talks on various aspects of Rotary and Rotary projects but perhaps the most memorable was a young 23-year-old refugee from the Congo who had overcome great odds to study towards becoming a teacher.  He spoke of the war in the Congo and losing most of his family and the opportunities that Rotary had given him through RYLA.  He is now in ROTORACT and plans to join Rotary.

With Sakuji and Kyoko

The past month has also been a time to start looking at the District Committee structure.  I plan some changes to align the District structure more with the RI structure.  We have also been working with District Chairs to put committees together.  By the end of the year we hope to have all committees in place so that work can begin in putting next years Directory together.

Five DGEs from NZ

And finally, with International Assembly a little over a month away in San Diego, we have been getting prepared to meet all of the other Rotary 2012/13 DGs.  Prior to this we are being hosted by a District in Florida for a week immediately following Christmas.  

DGE Activities October 2011

The heavy focus for Chris and I this month has been on completing our training material and to start training and building up a working relationship with the new Assistant Governors elects and President elects.  Only 5 clubs are still to appoint PEs.

On 16 October with the help of Deb Gimblett (DGN), Dexter Bambery (PDG) and Tony Fryer (PDG), an AG training day was held in Foxton.  It was a good chance to meet the AGs and talk over plans for the coming year and set a focus for the year.  A warm day saw us all having a relaxed BBQ lunch and a chance to get to know each other a little more.

Last weekend we held the first of two PETs 1 training sessions.  This meeting in Wanganui was for PEs and AGs in the northern clusters.  Along with setting the scene for next year and assisting PEs with planning for their year, it provided an opportunity for the AGs and PEs for each cluster to come together and get to know each other.  My thanks to Adrienne Murray and Philip Reidy who also came up Wanganui to collect the details of all the new PEs and photograph everyone for next years Directory. 

In the coming month the second PETs 1 session will be held in Tawa.  Chris and I also head off to Brisbane for a multi-district Rotary Institute and an opportunity to meet up with all of the current DG, DGNs, DGEs for a two day training session.  It will also be a time to start looking at filling all of the other District positions and start preparing the Directory.

The District Changeover and Conference committee continue to make excellent progress and plans are well in hand.  We continue to work closely with our District 9920 counterparts to arrange speakers for the joint conference in Rotorua.

The District Changeover and Conference committee continue to make excellent progress and plans are well in hand.  We continue to work closely with our District 9920 counterparts to arrange speakers for the joint conference in Rotorua.

Assistant Governor Training – 16 October Foxton

Training for the 2011/12 began in earnest in Foxton on the 16^th October with Assistant Governor training.  Facilitators present were, DGE Graeme, DGN Deb, Judy Bain and Tony Fryer.  After watching the French Wales rugby semi-final on a rather wet night in Palmerston North we awoke to a fine day on the Sunday.  This enabled us to get the BBQ out and have a BBQ lunch.  It was a great  day with lots of fun and learning.   Next step on the training programs is PETS 1.

Judy Bain talking to the AGs about facilitation skills.

Some in depth discussions

DGE Activities September 2011

Last month has focused on appointing Assistant Governors and Presidents Elects, and preparing for their training.  We now have a strong team of 12 AGs appointed.  Seven clubs have yet to appoint PE’s for 2012/13.

Over the past month we have reviewed and updated the President Elect’s training manual.  My thanks to Adrienne Murray with help in putting this together.  In a departure from the past it is my intention to provide all training material in digital form only.  For anyone who is interested in seeing a copy of the Presidents Manual a copy can be found on the District 9940 web site on the home page at http://www.rotary9940.org.nz/

or on the resources page at http://www.rotary9940.org.nz/Resources/Docs/PE%20Manual%202011-12%20District%209940%20Sept%2018%202011.pdf . 

Another focus this month has been preparing training material for AG and PE training, which will take place in Foxton on 16 October for AGs and 30 October in Wanganui and 13 November in Tawa for PEs.

I also facilitated at the latest Rotary Leadership course 2 run in Wellington.  This is a course aimed at new members to Rotary and potential Rotary Leaders.  Two members of our club attended Course 1 last year and Nic Walmsley the latest course last month.  Unfortunately there was not enough interest to run Course 1 again last month.  However at the end of this month and early next month both Courses 1 and 2 will be run again and I would suggest to anyone that might be interested that they contact Nic Walmsley.

Last weekend we attended the Matched Twin Exchange Orientation day in Palmerston North.  It was disappointing to see only 3 outbound students this year, all from the Manawatu/Taranaki area.  The three young boys going on the exchange all presented themselves very well and I am sure they will be good ambassadors for New Zealand and Rotary.

The District Changeover and Conference committee are making excellent progress and plans are well in hand.  We are working closely with our District 9920 counterparts to arrange speakers for the joint conference in Rotorua.

PORIRUA EXPO

On Sunday 11 September a Business expo was held at the Te Rauparahau Arena in Porirua showcasing Porirua business and clubs.  The Rotary clubs of Porirua Sundown and Plimmerton combined to host a booth showcasing Rotary activities in the area.  Much interest was shown in the work of Rotary and some potental future members made contact.  It was a successful day and we can see this become an annual event in Porirua.

Rotary Leadership Institute Training 3rd September

A Rotary Leadership Institute training day was held in Wellington on 3rd September.  This was for participants taking Module 2.  Twelve of the original 18 participants who had undertaken Module 1 turned up for this course.  Organised by Jan McCann, Helen Hancox and Martin Garcia, it was a very successful day with much learning, discussion and fellowship.  Topics covered during the day included:

• Leadership Planning and Goal Setting
• Rotary Foundation
• Communication Skills
• Membership Recruitment
• Vocational Service/Ethics
• Analysing Your Rotary Club

Judging by the feedback this was a very successful day enjoyed by the participants and facilitators alike.

Session on rotary Foundation led by PDG Howard Tong

Participants in the course

DGE Activities August 2011

Since our last update Christine and I attended the DGE RI International Director’s Briefing Weekend in Parramatta, Sydney on 5-7 August.  This weekend brings together the 22 DGEs from Australia and 6 from New Zealand.  It is the opportunity for networking, meeting the staff at RDU and RI South Pacific and Philippines Office.  It was also the opportunity to hear about many of initiatives and programmes being run with support from Rotary across Australia and New Zealand.  These included programmes such as Cure Kids, StarJam, Interplast, Shelter Box, Disaster Aid Australia, project Cleft and ROMAC – just the tip of the iceberg.  What it brought home to Christine and I was the vast number of humanitarian projects being supported and run by Rotary.  The challenge for us in our DG year will be in deciding which of these very worthwhile projects we should support. 

It was also an opportunity to hear of Rotary initiatives and future directions from RI Director Stuart Heal and his successor John Boag.  Stuart is also the head of the RI Strategic Planning Group and is proposing a number of significant changes in Rotary.  It is clear that positive change is in the wind and we need to start embracing that change – more on this in a future report.  These changes will give us the opportunity to see how we can revitalise clubs and make them more relevant and appealing to younger members.

Of particular benefit was the opportunity to meet with other DGE’s and exchange ideas.  The NZ and Pacific Island DGEs were able to get together and start planning our time at International Assembly and the entertainment presentation we will need to give in January next year.  Already we are forming a tight bond, no more evident than on Saturday night when we supported the All Blacks to an excellent victory in front of our Australian fellow DGE’s.

I also attended a training session on Rotary Club Visioning with other members of our District.  Club Visioning is a programme run by District for clubs to facilitate them to consider their future direction and vision.  About a quarter of the clubs in our District have now run this programme with some very positive and startling seeing them being re-vitalised.

PDG Howard Tong is now heading up the District PR committee and I will be working with him and other committee members to look at how we can better publicise Rotary activities across our District.  Another interesting initiative we are involved in across District is working with a small group carrying out training of Rotary clubs on the use of Social Media such as Facebook.  A pilot programme has been run with the Rotary Club of Eastern Hutt and over the next few months it is hoped to roll this programme out with other clubs.

We are currently appointing Assistant Governors and developing our District Training Programme.  More on this next month.

Graeme Blick

THE ROTARY FOUNDATION TRAINING DAY

Today we attended a Rotary Foundation training day for the Foundation committee and hosted by Tony Fryer.  Topics covered included:

·      The “Big Picture” of TRF.  What are the funds held at TRF, how are they funded and invested , how are they used, what belongs to us (9940). 

·      The “Local Picture” of TRF.  What is the District Designated Fund (DDF), where does the income come from, how is it managed, what does it fund, management of club pledges and reporting.  

·      The Future Vision Plan basics (FVP 101).  What are the changes brought about by being a Pilot District – how does it compare/relate to the “traditional/current” Foundation programmes/activities. 

·      FVP District Grants.  What’s available in 2011/12 and how do clubs get their hands on the cash.  How much can they ask for, how much do they have to contribute, what can grants be used for, what can’t grants be used for, how are funds managed by District and by clubs.    

·      FVP Global Grants.  What is possible, what are the basic rules regarding areas of focus, sustainability, minimum and maximum funding limits, partnerships, financial stewardship  

·      Vocational and Peace and Peace Conflict Resolution Scholarships.  What are they, when and where can they be taken up, how are they funded, application requirements, when is the next round due, selection process, partnership requirements with other FVP Pilot districts  

·      PolioPlus and Polio Awareness.  Where are we at with PolioPlus, Where is NZ at with Polio awareness immunisation.  What is planned this year to educate and promote on both these issues.  How can local clubs and clusters assist.   

·      TRF Promotion and Fundraising.  How can we keep TRF awareness, activities, and concerns in the sight of clubs and Rotarians during the 2011/12 year. Tools available from RI and TRF.  How can we share and develop ideas with and between clubs and clusters in TRF fundraising activities, and the promotion of EREY.   

·      Vocational Study Exchange.  Plans for 2012/13.  Outbound team possible focuses, selection process - inbound team from 5370,  how can clubs become a partner in the 2012/13 programme and share the hosting fun.   

The intention is to now put together a presentation that the committee can  take to clubs to increase awareness of The Foundation.

Participants listening intently!

Here Margaret Emerre is running
the session on Vocational and
Peace and Peace Conflict Resolution
 Scholarships

DIRECTORS BRIEFING WEEKEND

Christine and I attended the DGE RI International Director’s Briefing Weekend in Parramatta, Sydney on 5-7 August.  This weekend brings together the 22 DGEs from Australia and 6 from New Zealand.  It is the opportunity for networking, meeting the staff at RDU and RI South Pacific and Philippines Office.  We also heard about many of initiatives and programmes being run in the area including Cure Kids, StarJam, Interplast, Shelter Box and ROMAC – just the tip of the iceberg.  What it brought home to Christine and I was the vast number of humanitarian projects being supported and run by Rotary.  Our challenge will be in deciding which of these very worthwhile projects we should support.  It was also an opportunity to hear of Rotary initiatives and future directions from RI Director Stuart Heal and his successor John Boag.  Positive change is in the wind and we need to start embracing that change.  This will give us the opportunity to see how we can revitalise clubs and embrace this change.

Of particular benefit was the opportunity to meet with other DGE’s and exchange ideas.  The NZ and Pacific Island DGEs were able to get together and start planning our time at International Assembly and the entertainment presentation we will need to give at International Assembly in January next year.  Already we are forming a tight bond, no more evident than on Saturday when we supported the All Blacks to an excellent victory in front of an Australian audience.

Here are the New Zealand DGEs and partner

Being met by Scots guards at old Government House prior to dinner on Saturday night where we heard about the history of Governor Macquarie and Bly.

Club Vision Training

Today I attended Club Vision Training in Foxton.  Run by PDG Ross Murray and PDG David Watt, 16 members were trained in facilitating Club Visioning programmes.  These programmes are proving popular across the District with 12 clubs having been through the process.  These sessions are designed to get clubs to look at their Future Vision and set a new path for the future.



Here Ross addresses the attendees.







Leanne facilities one of the sessions.

New Years Eve in Whitby

Our New Years Eve party was with friends at a good old Scottish Hogmanay here in Whitby complete with haggis. After some good old Scottish dancing we finished the evening with a haggis being piped in and an address to the haggis before supper and Old-lang-syne to usher in the New Year.

Piping in the haggis.

Addressing the haggis