Rotorua, New Zealand
Conference Dates: 16–18 May 2025
 | Introducing Debbie Sorensen – Keynote Speaker For more information, click "Read More" below. |
DGs Vidya Nand (D9920) and Nick Dangerfield (D9930) invite you to register for our "Better Together" conference in Rotorua from 16-18 May 2025 to celebrate the achievements of the Rotary year and det ready to handover the battens to incoming DGs.
Conference will be held at the Energy Events Centre, Rotorua, New Zealand.
There are many accommodation options in Rotorua we have put together a selection of providers who have offered accommodation at rates especially for the conference, check the website for our suggestions.
 | We are proud to share that Kai-Shek Luey (Kai), a distinguished member of our community, has been awarded the Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for his outstanding services to the Chinese community. Kai, a QSM recipient and a Charter Member of the Rotary Club of Auckland Harbourside Inc. since 1994, has played a vital role in our unique multi-cultural club. He served as Club President (2002-03) and has been honoured as a Paul Harris Fellow in 2003, 2020, and 2023. A dedicated and active member, Kai has significantly contributed by organizing the Club’s annual Chinese New Year fundraising events and managing Club’s speaker programme. The CNZM award will be formally presented to him at an investiture ceremony at Auckland Government House on Friday, 23 May 2025. Please join us in congratulating Kai on this well-deserved recognition of his dedication and service! |
Earlier this month, Auckland played host to an inspiring District Changeover Event for Rotary District 9920. Held at the scenic waterfront venue, the event was a testament to the vibrant spirit and unwavering commitment of Rotary members from across the district. Members and leaders gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year and welcome new leadership.
REP (Rotary Reading Enrichment Programme) is a mentoring programme that brings in volunteers from the community, in coordinated teams, to work 1:1 with students needing help with their literacy. They have recently launched an updated website! Please check it out using the link below, to learn more about becoming a REP volunteer or starting a programme.
Earlier this month, the Rotary Club of Somerville held their changeover ceremony for in East Auckland. Nestled in the heart of the community, this small but spirited club is a powerhouse of energy and dedication. With only just 10 members, every individual plays a vital role—there are no "passengers" here. Their primary fundraising activity is a unique one: they sell parking spaces at the main entrance to Mount Smart Stadium, the home of the Warriors.
About a year ago, a dedicated team assembled in Auckland, funded in part by the Harold Thomas Rotary Trust, for a transformative mission to Taveuni, an island north of Fiji. Flying into Nadi on August 5, 2023, they were warmly greeted and escorted to Matei by local Rotary members. Exhausted from their early start, they gratefully settled in for a much-needed rest.
As of July 1, 2024, Rotary International embarked on a new year dedicated to service and making a difference. Guided by the theme "The Magic of Rotary," over 1.4 million members spanning across 200 countries are ready to create positive changes in communities worldwide.
World Press Photo Exhibition 2024
The World Press Photo Exhibition is coming back to Auckland again from 20 July - 11 August 2024.
The exhibition showcases the winning images of the World Press Photo competition, selected from over 60,000 entries from around the world. All profits from the Auckland event go to charity.
BUY TICKETS NOW!
**Event Invitation**
Join us in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Auckland South!
We cordially invite you to the 'Together, We End Polio Concert' and handover ceremony.
Date: 15 July 2024
Venue: The Auditorium, Michael Park School, Ellerslie
We are thrilled to host the Four Groups Taiwanese Children Choir, winners of numerous international competitions. Their exceptional talent and diverse repertoire showcase Taiwan's musical excellence and highlight the importance of the Rotary PolioPlus Project.
Your presence would mean a lot to us. Let's unite for this noble cause!
Sincerely,
Rotary Club of Auckland South
Waste disposal, particularly plastic waste, is a major problem for remote villages and islands in Fiji. There is no recycling possible in these remote areas, so all garbage is either thrown into a casual landfill, burned in an open fire, left at the side of the road, or thrown into the sea.The almost accidental landfills around villages are not managed, so they attract vermin plus the toxins leach into the soil and often the water supply. The roadsides are littered with discarded chip and snack bags, and in the ocean plastic bottles and used diapers roll in and out on the waves or clog the reefs. The Rotary Club of Savusavu found a way to build simple DIY incinerators using two barrels, a few screws and bolts, and some readily available tools to build an incinerator that burns at over 700C.
"We have to do something… and the Mt Eden Rotary Club can help”.
"The words fell out of my mouth after hearing from a relative (a seasoned nurse in NZ) about her recent experience in a hospital of her home town in Fiji," said Dr Ursula Bach, President of Mt Eden Rotary Club
Describing how under-resources some medical facilities are, Dr bach's relative retold how staff used their hands to move patients from bed to bed instead of sheets, because there were none. It soon became clear that this project was about providing the smaller thing: those which help patients feel more comfortable, and medical professionals more confident to do their jobs well. Raising money for basic medical supplies was the essence of this project, and something we felt we could achieve as a small club (<10 members).
In 2023, the Rotary Club of Savusavu in partnership with the mataqali (Fijian Clan) Urata, whose land it is on, opened a lookout cafe above Urata Village. This project was all about economic empowerment of a rural community: up-skilling the local community, giving them a stake in tourism, environmental rehabilitation, establishing a highly attractive tourist stop on the Labasa - Savusavu 90km road.
Bula Vinaka
We are now days away from the District Conference in Nadi and a lot of work is going on in the background to give you all as good experience at the conference. This will be a great opportunity for networking amongst Rotarians of our District where we will build friendships, reconnect and get celebrate Rotary. Please ensure that you have registered. We look forward to sharing our Fijian hospitality with you all.
We are now days away from the District Conference in Nadi and a lot of work is going on in the background to give you all as good experience at the conference. This will be a great opportunity for networking amongst Rotarians of our District where we will build friendships, reconnect and get celebrate Rotary. Please ensure that you have registered. We look forward to sharing our Fijian hospitality with you all.
In early February 2024, the Rotary Club of Suva supported Dr Rustem Dautov, Senior Interventional cardiologist at Queensland’s Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane, Australia to come to Fiji to volunteer his expertise to perform heart surgeries at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) in Suva, Fiji.
Dr Dautov is regarded as one of Australia's foremost operators in the field of Chronic Total Occlusion (blocked arteries). He is one of the world’s leading exponents of opening up such arteries and is internationally sought after to treat and train local doctors in the procedure.
Bula Vinaka! I wish you all good luck and much happiness throughout the year as we celebrate the year of the Dragon.I hope you all had a good break during Christmas and New Year and enjoyed the time with your loved ones.
Majority of the club visits are now done with the recent to Labasa and Savusavu. It was quite an experience to either see or learn about the projects being undertaken by the clubs and the impact that these projects have in the community.
Some clubs still struggle with membership and I urge these clubs to continue to work with their AGs and the District Membership team to work towards growing your club. Clubs gain the capacity to embark on ambitious and impactful initiatives if they have good membership. More hands make light work!
Interplast is a wonderful medical charity, which not only provides surgical care, but trains clinicians, in 17 Asia-Pacific countries. It is most worthy of the support of Rotary Clubs, as Interplast was co-founded by Rotary in 1983.
This year, Interplast has asked for our help to fund a surgical program to Tarawa in KIRIBATI. The team of volunteers is currently scheduled to visit Kiribati in May 2024.
Interplast has delivered over 30 programs in Kiribati. We have been training local medical personnel since 1986, as well as providing plastic and reconstructive surgery for patients who otherwise would have no way of accessing this life-changing care.
While on vacation in Fiji last August, Rotarians Philippe Lamoise and Dugan Moore from the Rotary Club of Del Mar in California, United States, paid a visit to the Rotary Club of Savuvsavu and were interested to support an initiative in Fiji. They had heard about a request from the Savusavu Hospital Dental Unit that was in urgent need of a portable x-ray machine. Without a dental X-ray machine, dental team were performing exams and repair work solely based on visual inspection
At the conclusion of the school year in November 2023, a Rotary led hearing screening project had conducted 1,739 screenings at 22 primary schools in Tongatapu, Tonga since commencing in January 2023.
The Tongan Ministry of Health in partnership with the Rotary Club of Hampton from Australia and Rotary Club Nuku’alofa, screens children in years 1 and 2 students on Tongatapu.
This Rotary Club of Hampton project was established during discussions between the club’s Chairman for International Service, Peter Read and officials from the Tonga Ministry of Health and community members. The objective of the project is to develop the capacity within Tonga’s health system, through the provision of training and AUD60,000 worth of audiology screening equipment, to undertake regular screening of the hearing of young children within the country. This is an important step in improving the health and educational outcomes of Tonga’s children.
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