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Welcome to District 9920 - part of Auckland and the Pacific

Are you a person wanting to connect with others to make positive changes in your community and the world? Rotary joins together dedicated men and women who share a passion for community service and friendship. If this sounds like you, please contact us - 0800 4 768 279 or

Youth Programmes - 2019

RYPEN – 29, 30 & 31st March 2019. Rotary Youth Program of Enrichment has a fantastic impact on young people’s lives. This is a weekend long camp for Year 12 and 13 students, aged between 14 - 17 years old, designed at developing young people’s potential through a mixture of lecture style sessions and adventure-based learning. I trust your club is supporting this.

RYLA 2019 – This year’s 9920 RYLA will run 29 June – 6 July 2019 at Willow Park in Eastern Beach. I am sure there is a young person in every community our clubs serve who would love the opportunity to join with 120 other young people for a life changing week. I would like to see 80% of our clubs sending someone along. It is a modest investment for a wonderful leadership programme.

Polio cases no longer declining: W.H.O. fears global resurgence

Progress has stalled in ridding the world of polio. An emergency committee of the World Health Organization unanimously agreed to continue to designate the paralyzing disease a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.”

This year, W.H.O. has recorded 27 cases of wild poliovirus worldwide compared with 22 total cases last year. Though the small number of cases may appear insignificant, the committee said the trend is noteworthy because it shows stagnation. This is the first increase year-over-year since W.H.O. began its efforts to eradicate the disease worldwide in 1988.

January 2019 Happenings

Not a lot happens in Rotary in January, but the big event was the departure of our Rotary Youth Exchange students for their year of life changing experiences.

The other is the 2019 Science and Technology Forum – Over the two middle weeks of January, 168 Year 13 students from all over NZ, came together to learn all about the many varied avenues of science. DG Ingrid attended their BBQ evening and the formal dinner. What a credit they are to their schools and the many Rotary clubs who sponsor them. This is Rotary in NZ’s biggest youth programme, and the only one that the three universities in Auckland collaborate on. If you have sponsored students to attend I am sure you will be equally inspired when you have them come and speak to your club.

Remuera - Great Auckland Duck Race

Remuera Club members donned hi-Vis jackets and got ready the eight activities: "Pluck a Duck" (Cindy), "Ping Pong Duck" (David & Cher), "Floating Islands" (Etienne), "Shooting Gallery" (Graeme & Wayne), "Ladder Toss" (Niel), "Bean Bag Toss" (Karen), "Guess the Ducks" (Patricia),"Pin the Beak" (Norman & Davina). "Rotary Gazebo – ticket sales" (Annabelle & Catherine), Support crew: (Jim, David McA, Ross, Iain). Set-up assistance the day before (John and Ashok):19 Volunteers in all.

Just after the start the misty rain relented, and none fell for the rest of the morning. The race for the decorated School Ducks race was followed by the Business Duck Race – over 30 entrants beautifully decorated. The winning Business Duck was “Cure Kids” – best looking & first over line. The 3rd race at 11.30am was the “Everybody $5 ducks” race with all 5,000 little yellow ducks – our very own Catherine winning 2nd prize with her duck (raffle ticket). Our whole Club’s effort in selling these tickets over the last 10 weeks raised $8,600 from public sales during weekends, and $4,500 from member’s sales.

Overall the day and the effort was a great Club achievement being out there in the Community - raising our profile, and attracting leads for over 5 prospective new members.

Iain Valentine - Committee

Grab a Global Grant

More funding = greater impact for your projects (even the local ones!)

We all know that large Global Grants from the Foundation make it possible to undertake high impact international projects – but did you know they can be used for local projects too?

A great example is the Kerikeri Club in Northland. They identified an issue with young students from poor families in the area who were performing well below average. With a club investment of US$12,516, they were able to undertake a US$102,000 project that delivered ‘digital classrooms’ to help address the issue.

If your club has a vision to create a major project that will have a significant impact on people’s lives, consider Rotary Foundation grants – for international and local projects.

Foundation funding would not be possible without the wonderful generosity of Rotarians and clubs!

Rotary Months Feb - April

The focus for the next three months is:

February	Peace and conflict prevention / resolution month
March	Water and sanitation
April	Maternal and Child health month
	For the full list of months, read on ...

Women in Rotary

Women have always had an influence in Rotary right from the contribution of Jean Thompson, Rotary's Founder Paul Harris's wife, who is often stated as being "the power behind the Rotary 'throne' ".

2019 marks 30 years since Rotary International formerly enabled women to join Rotary as Rotarians. Since then the direct contribution of women in Rotary has soared and is today pronounced.

Through the District Facebook page and website (in addition top the Rotary Oceania Facebook and website) over the next few months we would like to recognize the work that Rotary women throughout NZ and the Pacific do publicly and behind the scenes. This is a great opportunity to highlight women in your Clubs and Districts who have gone above and beyond the call of Service above Self. We are wanting to know those really special women and to thank them for being part of our Rotary family.

While we could come up with names this would be more meaningful if suggestions came from Rotarians or those involved with Rotary. Our district has so many great women doing wonderful things this should be easy - send your suggestions to Leanne Jaggs, District 9920 Publicity Committee Chair.

Christmas Food hamper donation by Rotary Papatoetoe Central

The best part of Christmas is when families can get together and enjoy each other's company. Unfortunately for too many it is a time of hardship. Recognising that some in their community were facing hardship, Papatoetoe Central Rotary worked with Rawiri Community House Manukau to identify fifty needy families to whom they could provide a food hamper each and the presentation is depicted here (note the reusable shopping bags with the Rotary emblem on).

New student driver training car for Tamaki College

Rotary Club of Auckland East determined that the existing 15-year-old driver training vehicle used by Tamaki College was well past its use by date so did something about.

Rotary to the fore at Christmas in Ellerslie

Ellerslie Rotary changed up their entry into the Ellerslie Santa Parade a bit this year - everyone wore Rotary Super-Hero T-shirts with the theme that Rotarians are super-heroes too - and aren't we all! Their involvement in their local community is seen front and centre and that's very important, especially for super-heroes!

Remuera and the Fiji Oxygen Project

The Fiji Oxygen Project – No child should die for a lack of oxygen.

Yet too many do die from otherwise treatable illnesses because of variable access to good quality oxygen in Fiji. The Rotary Club of Remuera Inc, working in partnership with other charities and trusts, is working to raise $650,000 in order to provide reliable oxygen supplies to Health Clinics throughout Fiji. This is a project worthy of wide support and I fully endorse it and would like to see it come to fruition as soon as possible. I would appreciate Rotarians giving their full support to this project.

The Fiji Oxygen Project is designed to save the lives of children, in hospitals and clinics, who are currently dying due to the lack of a reliable supply of oxygen ...

Please see the link to the CK O2 video. - https://vimeo.com/299385357 And here for the one-page summary

Your club just has to be a part of this!

By popular request a Facebook Group has been created for anyone in a club open to new ideas for better publicity. Its is easy - just go to https://www.facebook.com/groups/491985354562435/

Feeling Good Doing Good - letting everyone know about Rotary and Rotarians

How did you actually do?

Rotary clubs and their members are deservedly proud of the projects they held during a Rotary year that have achieved so much. The stories of these individual projects describe the depth of activity and the benefits achieved but there is interest in the full picture to show the scale of all these individual projects together. Often, these are expressed as funds distributed. Other measures are volunteer hours and Donations in Kind and outcomes. How is your club showing the community, and members, what was achieved? Pictorially such as here? In the club bulletin and as advertisments in the local community newspaper? Telling this particular story acknowledges the contributions of members, sponsors and supporters and builds the club social creds that will in turn bring in additional support. The excellent example below is from Papakura Rotary.

Are you missing “the good stuff”?

"Darn it! If I had known about that I would have really liked to have taken part!" Well, there is a way.

Pukekohe Rotary proved there is joy in riding a bike

The faces say it all. What-a-Day! Pukekohe Rotary's massive Counties Cycle Classic was a true family event attracting the under 10's to have a go right through to your experienced seriously competitive cyclist.