What: How to Gain the Most from Your Rotary Membership When: Save the date: October 15, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM Where: Grant Foggo’s offices – Comprendé, 16A The Terrace
Why you should come:
- Maximise your membership by discovering how to get the absolute most out of Rotary.
- Mingle with new members in a friendly, relaxed setting.
- Enjoy complimentary drinks and nibbles while you chat.
RSVP to John McKinnon: johndsp1@gmail.com
Help Needed!
Rotary Volunteering For Wellington City Mission Toy Shop + Food Sorting
We have received an invitation from the Wellington City Mission to put our names down for their Christmas voluntary roles - the Toy Shop, sorting food, etc.
Please let Lynn McKenzie know if you are available using this form:
Many thanks to everyone who made such a successful GWCTD
40 acceptances for 5 tables spread over 3 nights
$2k raised to help fund the RYLA programme
Plus some specular food & excellent company
"... so nice to be able to continue conversations that are often only carried out in short bursts during regular meeting"
Going against the trend for the decline in dinner parties
Special thanks to this year's hosts
Daniel Sloper
Helen Dobson
Lisa Seerup
Faisal Ahmed
Suzanne Snively
The attached photo shows three brave souls at the end of Helen Dobson's wonderful Greek dinner. They're stepping up to tackle some incredibly strong Turkish/Greek coffee, late in the evening. Looking closely, it seems one of them might be faltering already!
Join the New Environment Committee!
The Rotary Club of Wellington Board has established a brand-new Environment Committee, chaired by Roger Blakeley, and we are looking for passionate members to join us! We are already "off the ground and flying" with two major projects, backed by $24,000 in combined funding:
Indigenous Tree Planting: Backed by a generous $20,000 transfer from the winding-up Rotary Trees Trust to plant native trees, foster biodiversity, and offset carbon emissions across Wellington reserve spaces.
Predator-Free Wellington: Supported by a $2,000 District Grant matched with $2,000 from our RCW Trust to engage in local trapping initiatives.
Both projects offer excellent opportunities for hands-on work—like planting trees and setting traps—while supporting long-term, sustainable improvements to our natural environment.
If you would like to help shape this committee and make a lasting green impact, please contact Roger: roger.blakeley@outlook.com
Meet Some More Board members
John Boshier
Fellowship is all about bringing us together in a relaxed, informal way to create happy memories and genuine joy. To help our newest members feel just as included, I am also setting up a "buddy" system to ensure everyone has a dedicated companion walking with them on their Rotary journey.
I am excited to lead our Club’s fellowship activities this year. Our program is built directly from the preferences you shared in last year's member survey. Because the best ideas often come straight from you, please keep the ideas coming.
Joan Smith
As Chair of the Wellington Rotary Charitable Trust, I am dedicated to ensuring prudent investment management and providing transparent grant updates to both our Board and members. We are committed to improving local lives and supporting vital youth science programmes. We will achieve this through our active, ongoing partnerships with local service providers and the University of Otago, Wellington Medical School.
Club Events
Major Events Coming Up
We do other sparkling events as they arise,
but the following are in the longer-term plan:
16 November (evening) - our AGM
6 December - hold the date for Thorndon Fair
14 December Lunch - holiday lunch
Beyond Our Club
Discover the Rotary Voices Podcast
The October issue of Rotary magazine links to two engaging episodes from the Rotary Voices podcast, offering practical insights and great storytelling for members:
Solutions Journalism: A network that focuses on responses to social issues—rather than just the problems. It researches what people are trying to do about the issues. We can use the approach to help us improve our own service projects.
An Interview with Ann Patchett: Ideal for Book Club members, this episode features the celebrated author discussing her work and sharing a poignant connection to Rotary.
The Rotary Voices podcast provides thoughtful content to inspire your club's service and discussions. You can stream these episodes now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast platform.
Congratulations Rotary Club of Mt Victoria
Our congratulations to the Rotary Club of Mt Victoria on the incredible Bee in the City art trail!
It has been fantastic seeing so many families out and about enjoying these vibrant bee sculptures across the city. Thank you for bringing so much joy, creativity, and community spirit to Pōneke while raising vital funds for LifeFlight.
Shoutout also to Juliette Florist, Hauora New Zealand, and Zeal Wellington for backing this buzz-worthy initiative!
Other Relevant Events
Support the City Mission: Open Wellington House & Garden Tour
Explore some of Wellington’s most beautiful homes and private gardens on Sunday 14 November for the Open Wellington home and garden tour. While this is not an official Rotary club activity, we are pleased to highlight it as part of our ongoing support for the Wellington City Mission.
Every single ticket sale goes directly to funding the Mission's critical housing, food, and financial mentoring services. Early bird tickets are currently available for $119 + GST + fees. To secure your tickets or find out more about the properties on display, visit the Open Wellington Website.
Club Information
Meeting Location
Location: The Wellington Club, 88 The Terrace, CBD
