Our speaker this week was our DG John Mohi. John’s presentation was structured and inspirational. He began by talking about what is happening at the international level of Rotary and gradually worked his way down to Club level and in each case study – he let the activity tell the story.
Rotary International
We all know the polio eradication campaign has been a flagship Rotary project that has been going since 1985. The refreshed End Polio Now campaign is intended to eliminate the very last traces of the disease. But indications are, that numbers are climbing again in India and Pakistan. Hence the new campaign where Linda Wellington has been so influential for our district in driving the recent ride the train fundraising effort. So was it successful?
Everyone agreed it was a great opportunity for Clubs around the District to work together and it was a lot of fun. While the final tally is not yet known, the commitment is to repeat it again next year and try to improve media coverage and Club communications to achieve maximum impact.
Did you know that Rotary supported and was influential in the formation of the United Nations? As part of the recent strategy refresh there has been a refocusing and repositioning our current 6 areas of focus to better align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Two of our goals are already very closely aligned: Peace and removing the causes of war and the elimination of disease – now the End Polio Now campaign. While the latter is the big spend item, our small spend is on peace – and our Peace Scholars, and this programme achieves great profile and publicity.
Rotary: New Zealand Australia & Pacific
Rotary is a democratic organization and the mix of our voting power is changing. India and Asia are in the ascendance and Britain, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand are flat. So instead of looking at world problems – the strategy puts more emphasis on what’s happening in your zone. Our zone is the Australia New Zealand and Pacific – Zone 8 where, as part of the 100year celebration of Rotary in our part of the world, we are being asked to support Rotary Give Every Child a Future
https://everychildafuture.com/. For this programme the Asian Development Bank has committed US$28million and Rotary is intending to come up with the rest. This equates to $46 per Rotarian – or anyone interested in supporting this high impact initiative.
Rotary New Zealand
Also as part of this centennial celebration, an historian has been commissioned to tell our own story of Rotary in New Zealand and the Pacific. For this 2 year project our action is to contribute to this historical record, anything that is unique about Port Nicholson so it can be considered within the context of the whole country. If you have suggestions please pass them to Andre and David. The book is due out June 2021 .
Looking at Rotary in New Zealand, DG John didn’t shy away from acknowledging that there is work to do in a number of areas – in particular the governance of some of our Community Trusts need attention. He then introduced Helen Algar, AG Wellington Collaboration to brief us on the very new Trees Trees Trees Project.
The genesis of this project grew out of the idea of building on Sir Roy McKenzie’s legacy of tree planting Wellington’s green belt. It also tapped the expertise of experienced public servants, who are savvy at accessing Government money to co-invest in Rotary projects.
A Rotary Club of Wellington Trust was finalized this week, Chaired by Russ Ballard plus other experienced people. The Club got funding from MPI to plan this major project and have secured 1million seedlings to be planted in collaboration with partners including but not limited to: 200+ Rotary Clubs, RSA, Fire & Emergency NZ; Scouts NZ and Dept of Conservation support. Conservation volunteers underpin the effort. There is an opportunity for all clubs to tap into the seedlings supplied and plant them throughout NZ. The seedlings are all indigenous trees and intended to contribute to permanent forest cover in New Zealand. The Trust is called Rotary Peace Remembrance and Community Forests Trust.
Helen also described the RC Wellington’s effort to achieve carbon zero certification. One of CRIs gave reduced fee services to trial whether a Club could be carbon neutral and after establishing process, and making some changes, they are now a certified carbon zero Rotary Club. They have packaged the process and are now making it available to all Rotary Clubs – and potentially other Clubs in New Zealand starting with the Wellington Bridge Club.
District 9940
Our Club has had a long association with Wellington Children’s Hospital, currently under construction through the generosity of Mark Dunajtschik. Bill Day has promoted and now the District is supporting setting up a Trust (with Districts 9930 and 9970) to jointly raise a target of $400k to secure the naming rights for 2 whanau areas.
District Clusters
Clubs are becoming less competitive and more collaborative where together more can be achieved. Three Cluster Clubs in Whanganui are organizing a raffle for the whole of our District, something that would be difficult to do alone. In Kapiti, six Clubs got together and worked with Schools and Kura to fund support programmes to try to address and reduce youth suicide rates. Plimmerton Club likes the idea and hope to replicate it. As AG John said, if you’ve got things you want to do – then it makes sense to collaborate.
Rotary Club of Port Nicholson
Finally our Club, and DG John acknowledged RCPN is a healthy Club, but he encouraged us to not lose sight of the opportunity as members of a values-based global organization to coordinate and organize to be a force for good, not only in our own communities but in the world.
And of course he took the opportunity to promote the 2020 Conference with the theme Rotary Connects the World adding his own Ko Tātou Tātou e – an affirmation that we live in a multi cultural society with a bicultural foundation and that means we are one.
A very full and inspiring presentation.
Club Reporter
Brenda Lazelle
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