President Elect Fiona's Message August 2025
Over the past three weeks, our meetings have been enriched by an excellent lineup of speakers, organised by Tim Wilshire and Stuart MacLean. Their efforts have helped boost attendance during the Winter season.
On August 12, Penny Bolton from
the Community Resilience Group (CRG)
in Frankton & Quail Rise and
Dave Grimes from Emergency Management Otago, shared valuable insights into their work as volunteers helping prepare the community for emergencies such as earthquakes, floods, and wildfires. Her presentation underscored the challenges faced and highlighted steps residents can take to be better prepared, including ensuring their earthquake kits are up to date.
The following week, on August 19th, Clive Geddes, a former mayor of Queenstown, delivered a compelling talk about the hurdles local councils face. He spoke on the implications of fast-track legislation and stressed the importance of the community rallying to preserve what makes Queenstown unique. Clive also advocated for rekindling pride in New Zealand’s values and exploring avenues for positive change—even if a rapid return to former conditions seems unlikely.
This week’s meeting was particularly lively, with three speakers and an impressive turnout of 41 attendees. MJ did an outstanding job coordinating the meal orders and collaborating with the Holiday Inn team to ensure everything ran smoothly. It was a privilege to chair the meeting on behalf of President Richard. During this meeting we enjoyed 3 speakers featuring Jacqui and Joel from the Wakatipu Youth Trust; Sam, Roselle and Shane from the Queenstown Rotaract Club; and Alisi Tuqa, Rotarian and RCL (Rotary Community Leader) from Kiribati and Fiji.
- Jackie and Joel provided an overview of their organisation's mission, highlighting their commitment to empowering local youth in the Wakatipu Basin with resources, opportunities, and a safe environment to foster positive growth.
- The Queenstown Rotaract Club shared updates on recent service projects, such as painting the Happiness House and blending their love of tramping and hut maintenance. It was great to hear about their service projects, and as a club, we have invited them to join us for the Duck Race in November.
- Alisi Tuqa took centre stage as the keynote speaker, discussing the progress of the Regionalisation Pilot within Fiji and Kiribati. With twelve clubs currently active, including two Rotaract clubs, she outlined strategies for growth and touched on administrative challenges faced by these groups. Her talk was insightful and inspiring.
The evening was made even better by the return of Cora and Jim Huitt to Queenstown. Additionally, District Governor Keith McIntosh joined us for the meeting, as did new attendees Anna and Shikha.
Looking ahead, our next service project will be the Lake Hayes weeding initiative on September 6th from 9am to 12pm. Several members have already volunteered during the meeting, but if you’re available to help out, please reach out to President Richard as soon as possible.
On November 2nd from 2-4pm is the inaugural major club project - The Annual Rotary Duck Race. Held at the Village Green, planning is well underway, with Sharon Leamy volunteering to assist with the schools. If any members are interested in contributing to the pre-planning phase of this project, feel free to send me an email.
Tomorrow night's meeting will take place at the Holiday Inn, Frankton, featuring a mayoral Forum with all six local candidates in attendance. The evening will include a buffet dinner priced at $42 per person, offering chicken in lemon sauce, roasted vegetable medley, green salad, and lamingtons for dessert. If you have specific dietary requirements, please inform MJ Kooger in advance. BRING A FRIEND.
That’s it for me. My thought for the month - Bring on the snow!
Bulletin Editor Note:
Editor apologies for the 1 day delay sending this Bulletin - The Editor was required in Christchurch on an urgent family matter stalling progress to have the bulletin published on Sunday.
A teething issue resulted in last month's edition being named the August bulletin, but should have been July 2025, therefore making this one the August one.
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