RCW Bulletin 20 April 2026 (Apr 20, 2026)

RCW Bulletin

20 April 2026

Upcoming Meetings

4 May

Lunch Meeting at The Wellington Club

12.30 pm

Dr Mike Joy - The State of Freshwater Management in Aotearoa; an Ecologist's Experience

We hope you can join us for what promises to be an interesting talk!

18 May

Evening Meeting at The Wellington Club

5.30 pm for 6pm start and 7pm finish

Panel discussion with Diplomats- Faisal Ahmed, Daniel Sloper, Keith Smith and John McKinnon: 'The Unique Experiences of Being a Diplomat', Interviewer: Ian Fraser

Come along to a terrific evening meeting about the ins and outs of diplomacy!

Date	Door Host / Guests	Introducer /Thanker	Greeter 1	Greeter 2	5 Minute Talk	Opening Thought
4 May	John Rowe	Roger Blakeley	Julius Caplitan	Gillian Jones	Social Media Group	Justin Smith
18 May evening	John Gibbons	Donna Dentice	Daniel Sloper	Julie Haggie	N/A	N/A
8 June	John Rowe	TBC	Johnny Sexwale	Debbie Chin	Jon Beck	Prasanna Gamage

We're forming the 2026-27 Club Board - interested??

President-Elect, Suzanne Snively, is seeking expressions of interest from members interested in joining her Board, or in supporting Board members.

The 2026/27 Board will focus on continuing President Lynn McKenzie’s membership growth and the features of our club enabling that - having fellowship and fun, with a focus on uniting for good and service-before-self.

We're planning to break down some large roles into smaller tasks, so make responsibilities more manageable for us as volunteers.

So, we need help with some specific skills:

Treasurer
Monthly financial accounting
Invoicing
Club services - assisting with the membership process and dealing with email enquiries
Board Minutes Secretary – working closely with the Club President compiling board papers, notifying and reminding other Board members of milestones/meetings
Building external networks - including working with the diplomatic corps, District Rotary and International Rotary

Give Suzanne a call if you're interested

Rotary's Epic Day of Service

May 16

Collect for Mary Potter Hospice

New World in Oriental Bay

JOIN US!!

Rotarians globally will be engaged in a service activity on Saturday 16 May. Our club will be collecting for Mary Potter Hospice outside the New World in Oriental Bay (279 Wakefield Street, Te Aro). We are collecting from 8am-12:30pm, 1.30-2pm and then again from 4:30pm-6pm.

We will need a minimum of eight collectors. The collectors the better. We guarantee a balmy day!

Can you help? Call Neil Matson on 029-928-8017, or email nbjmatson@gmail.com.

Get ready for National Volunteer Week 2026

National Volunteer Week is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest annual celebration of volunteering. Held from 14-20 June 2026, this week is an opportunity to recognise, celebrate, and appreciate the millions of volunteers who enrich Aotearoa New Zealand.

Join the celebrations and help amplify the collective impact of volunteering.

Many thanks to Prasanna for hosting a wonderful Sri Lankan dinner last Friday

A great evening, great food, great company (of course!) and Prasanna educated us about the subtleties and history of his country's delicious cuisine.

Lifting the Lid Newsletter April 2026

Lifting the Lid (LtL)is currently submitting an application for a Rotary Foundation Global Grant.

As well as supporting the current programme, it will also provide funds for two other initiatives:

1. To train teachers to recognise and deal with students with mental health issues.

2. To fund a programme that provides online safety resources for parents, caregivers and professionals. This programme helps keep children safer online and increases their emotional wellbeing.

LtL continues to have a profound impact on the lives of many. To date, it has supported 1689 students with 1856 sessions. That is an average of 12 students per week during the school year.

District Learning Assembly

2-3 May in Whanganui

A chance to learn more about Rotary on Saturday 2 May (10am-3.15pm) with Rotary's Barbara Misfud a guest speaker - her expertise is membership. We are carpooling if you want to come. Contact President Lynn for more details.

If you're thinking of attending the Rotary International 2026 Taipei Conference...

Join Kiwi, Australian and Pacific Rotarians and 35,000 others.

Contact Judy Bains - there is a District 9940 contingent attending.

judy.bains@me.com

Karori-Wellington North fundraiser

A showing of The Devil Wears Prada 2.

17 May

4.30pm for 5 pm start

Lighthouse Cinema, Petone

Tickets: $25

RSVP: projects@rcwn.org.nz, or text Zai at 021733659

Did you know we have a District 9940 Facebook page?

While you're dutifully and enthusiastically 'liking' the RCW page, take a look at the District site and 'like' what you see there!

https://www.facebook.com/Rotary9940

Club Events

Major Events for 2026

16 May - Rotary's Epic Day of Service

22 June evening- RCW Changeover
4 August - Manon opera

Meetings Coming Up

All events at The Wellington Club, unless otherwise stated

2-3 May: District Learning Assembly & President-Elect Training, Whanganui

4 May: RCW lunch. Speaker - Dr Mike Joy. Registration:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScfDUDmfsh1jJ0siLOPBcCn8-yDfdYrjfwLJFyO6Ah3aKLHXw/viewform

11 May: Paul Harris lunch

16 May: Rotary's Epic Day of Service- collection for Mary Potter Hospice

18 May: RCW evening meeting. Panel discussion with Faisal Ahmed, Daniel Sloper, Keith Smith and John McKinnon. Registration: https://forms.gle/g7bdqmb7fsE2ZMvQA

25 May: Paul Harris lunch

8 June: Lunch Meeting:Club Members: Getting to know us

15 June: Paul Harris lunch:

22 June: RCW Changeover: Evening meeting Speaker - Anna Fifield

29 June: Paul Harris lunch

6 July: RCW lunch. Speaker - Grant Nalder

13 July: Paul Harris lunch

20 July: RCW lunch. Speaker - TBC

27 July: Paul Harris lunch

3 August: RCW lunch. Speaker - Katherine Rich

10 August: Paul Harris lunch

17 August: RCW lunch. Speakers - Strengthening Democracy Project winners

24 August: Paul Harris lunch

31 August: RCW evening meeting. Speaker - Mayor Andrew Little

7 September: Paul Harris lunch

14 September: RCW lunch. Speaker - Nic Blakeley

21 September: Paul Harris lunch

28 September: RCW lunch. Speaker - Roger Brooking

5 October: Paul Harris lunch

12 October: RCW lunch. Speaker - Melissa Clark-Reynolds

Responsibility: Board	Member	Responsibility	Member
President	Lynn McKenzie	International
President-Elect	Suzanne Snively	RCW Trust	Joan Smith
Immediate Past President	Roger Blakeley	Comms	Lee Wilkinson
Treasurer & Community Service Chair	Allan Frost	Speakers	Janice Wilson
Fellowship	John Boshier		Denise Church
		Meeting RSVP	Anthony Scott
Other Responsibilities		Membership	Heather Verry
Member Support	Jane McCann & George Fairbairn	Constitution	Derek Gill
Secretary	Julie Haggie	Wellington Club Liaison	Jane McCann
Meeting co-ordinator	Suzanne Snively	Timekeeper	Stuart Brooker