Kia ora koutou katoaRangimārie ki a tātou, peace to us all.
This month is Rotary Peace and Conflict Resolution month. Applications for the next round of Rotary Peace scholars opens this month. This is Rotary’s most prestigious scholarship currently awarded and the hunt is now on for outstanding candidates. Contact our District Peace Co-ordinator marioncowden@gmail.com
Peace can flourish whenever minds are open. My club is currently in dialogue with a Wellington-based leader of the Muslim community in New Zealand. At the local level we are each very interested in understanding more about each other. We are both open to building a new and evolving relationship. You could consider the same with your local Muslim or other communities.
R100, our Centenary celebrations programme across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific continues to grow. Auckland has big plans. Some of our clubs chartered in the 1920s are considering their own centenary celebrations within the next decade. A R100 exhibition is scheduled for mid 2021 at the National Library of New Zealand (NLNZ) in Wellington What is your club or cluster planning for the centenary year?
Rotary and Lions have much in common and we work together at many levels internationally and locally. Our respective Districts are currently involved in a joint planning exercise with the NLNZ on a big book fair to support the indoor whanau rooms and the outdoor play area of the Wellington Regional Children’s Hospital, currently under construction in Newtown, Wellington. The Whanganui RC is already leading the way with a 10,000-ticket raffle to raise funds. We have a dedicated Rotary Trust for our part of the Wellington Regional Children’s Hospital project and are going to need the organising skills and muscle of Lions, Rotary and others to help out with the book fair. We will soon be calling on all clubs to help guarantee our success. The book fair is likely to be held in mid 2020.
DGE Gillian Jones is now back from the International Assembly in San Diego, CA, USA. Gillian and her team will be delivering a District Assembly programme at the District Conference on the afternoon of Sunday 17 May, 2020, at the Lower Hutt Events Centre. This programme will complement the next Presidents Elect training at South Pacific PETS Waipuna conference Centre in Auckland, later this month.
Along with IPDG Marion Johnston and DGN Mark Wheeler, your DG train is working closely to build strategic, integrated and sustainable action plans for the district. We enjoy working together and are always interested in hearing your thinking to improve our future.
Finally, I hope you are getting your group together for our Rotary District 9940 Conference from 15 - 17 May, 2020. Lane and I are looking forward to welcoming many of you to the recently opened Events Centre in the Lower Hutt local government precinct in May.
Registration is now open https://www.rotary9940.org/page/conference2020
Ngā mihi
John H Mohi
DG 9940