Cyclone Evan has struck Samoa causing havoc and destruction.

Cyclone Evan has struck Samoa causing havoc and destruction.

Emergency Response Kits prepositioned in Apia are being distributed to those most affected and back up supplies are being shipped from Fiji.

Cyclone Evan will hit Tonga and Fiji in the coming days and reportedly is intensifying.

We have prepositioned ERKs in Fiji and Rotarians and their supporters are on standby.

Rotary is working with Disaster Management Agencies in all three countries and we anticipate that as well as ERKs, food, water and clothing will be needed.

RNZWCS will advance funds to enable these supplies to be purchased and distributed immediately.

We are therefore asking clubs to support us and have launched an immediate appeal. We are also working with the New Zealand Government through MFAT and the NGO Disaster Relief Forum NDRF.

Please refer to our website www.rnzwcs.org for alternate ways to donate or

send cheques to 

PO Box 20309, 

Christchurch 8543 

or through internet banking 03 1702 0192208 01

Stokes Valley Christmas Parade and Solomon Island Ambulance

On Saturday Christine and I had the pleasure to attend the Stokes Valley Christmas Parade.  This was held under a clear sky and it was great to see a big turn out by the local community.  This annual event is organised by the Hutt River Valley Rotary and it was good to see a big turn out of club members supported by other clubs in the area.  We had the pleasure of riding in an old Dodge in the event.

A shelter box was on show as was the ambulance that has been organised by the Rotary Club of Petone and is destined to be shipped up to the Solomon Islands by the New Zealand Navy in June.  Over the next few weeks the ambulance will be sign written with Rotary on the side.  It will be available over the next few months around District for fund raising events.  This is a great initiative by Petone Rotary.


A great day enjoyed by all.

A Relaxing Week As We Head Into Christmas

Our week began by attending the ROZCOM meeting a Wellington Airport on Sunday morning.  Here representatives from each Districts PR Committees came together to discuss Rotary PR across New Zealand and proposals for 2013/14.  Considerable time was spent discussing Social Media and how we can best use of this to connect with the younger generation and attract new members.  It is great to see a coordinated approach to PR across New Zealand and see the great work that our own PDG Howard Tong is doing.

Later in the afternoon we attended a wild food BBQ put on by Plimmerton Inner Wheel.  This was a great chance to taste some local rabbit, pork, venison, trout and salmon - a great way to finish the day.





It was good to be able to attend a book launch by one of the members of Plimmerton Rotary, David Pine and attend one of our clubs regular club nights which was followed by our final conference committee meeting of the year.  The conference is well on track with the programme now finalised and all speakers in place.  Please remember to visit the conference website at http://www.rotaryconf2013.co.nz and look to register for this even.

On Thursday we attended Wellington North Christmas function, a great night with much fun and laughter.  A highlight of the night was a presentation to PDG Tony Fryer with a PHF Sapphire pin in recognition of his work in District in implementing the Future Vision Pilot.  During his time we have seen Foundation giving increase by 30% in our District.  In addition Tony is also Chair of International RYLA.


We hope you all have a great week as we head in towards Christmas.

Swimarathon - 23 February 2013

Saturday 23^rd February 2013 – be part of the world’s biggest 1 day swim!

On 25^th February 2012, at events organized by more than 100 Rotary, Rotaract, Interact and Sports clubs in 23 countries and 15 time zones, 4546 participants took part in the first Rotary Global Swimarathon. They all swam between 1200 and 1300 GMT and broke the Guinness World Record for the  most swimmers completing 100 metres in the same hour.

Most importantly, more than US$100,000 was raised for the Rotary International End Polio Now Campaign, enabling the immunization of hundreds of thousands of children against this crippling disease.

We simply cannot stop until Polio is finally eradicated from this earth and so on Rotary Day, Saturday 23^rd February 2013, we will once again invite the entire world to take part in what we firmly believe will be the world’s biggest ever 1 day swim. 

As local organizers can choose the time of day and duration of their events during that 24 hours, for 2013 we are targeting over 50,000 swimmers, more than 1000 clubs, raising more than $1million!

As an added incentive, very special prizes will be awarded at the Rotary International Conference in Lisbon in June 2013 for the most money raised for End Polio Now, the most swimmers at any one event and for the District which has the most clubs participating.

Please visit our website http://rotaryglobalswimarathon.org,   
find us on our Facebook fan page at http://www.facebook.com/rotaryglobalswimarathon 
or follow us on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/rotaryglobeswim 
for further details. 
Alternatively you can e-mail rotaryglobalswimarathon@gmail.com or contact event chair Rotarian Roger Graves from The Rotary Club of Grantham directly at chairrgs@gmail.com

Register by 15 December for best price on Lisbon Convention

Register by 15 December for best price on Lisbon Convention

Register for the 2013 RI Convention by 15 December to save up to $100 off the onsite registration fee. Why attend? Deborah Bowen, of the Rotary Club of Top of the Lake-Mooresville, shares her reasons. Bowen attended her first convention in Chicago in 2005 as a centennial club president. “When I saw the flags from all the Rotary countries, I felt a lump in my throat. You had me at the flag ceremony!" Register by 15 December and save Learn more about why you should attend Learn about Lisbon’s attractions and nightlife

Profiling District Conference Speaker - Simon Denny

A Quiet Week Leading into Christmas

This week has been a quiet week leading into Christmas.  For the second time in 2 weeks I was able to get along to the Rotary Club of Plimmerton for a regular club meeting.  It was the chance to update the club on plans for the conference which are coming along well with the programme set and guest speakers now all in place.  Registrations are beginning to come in which is great to see.

Wednesday we were invited back to the Rotary Club of Foxton as guest speaker to talk about experiences in Antarctica.  There was a good turnout of members and guests.   It is good to see this small club pushing boundaries to look at ways to attract new members.

For the next few weeks we are looking forward to returning to a number of clubs to share the christmas functions.  All the best for the coming week.