RCPN Bulletin 7 September 2026 (Sep 06, 2026)

Club News

6 September 2026

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Our Duties September
Please note that these may differ from previous notifications

If you are going to be away please record your leave of absence here

	Sept 9 Fiona Smith & Simon Warburton	Sept16 Dr. Melanie Young	Sept 23 Club Forum	Sept 30 Sarah Morris
Desk	Peter Whittington	Geoff Smith	Rick Hughes	Fiona Smith
Greeter	David Shackleton	Bill Day	Hadleigh Petherick	Jeff Lee
Setup/pack up	Hadleigh Petherick	Aparna Dubey	Spencer Petherick	Cameron Dittmer
Kaikohau	Jane Paterson	Steve Lawton	David Quinn	Howard Tong
Opening thought	Rob Whitney	Richard Brodie	Tony Herring	Tony Robinson
Introduction	Richard Westlake	Dawn Sanders	xxx	Darryl Ross
Thanking	Heather Lucas	Peter Whittington	xxx	Paula McKnight
Parting thought	Iona Sammons	Tamaris Livera		Brad Weekly
Reporter	Charles Little	Howard Tong	Heather Lucas	Juian Bateson
Photographer	Nick Duncan	Jo Douglas	Marc Rand	Rob Whitney

Our Speaker this week are:

Fiona Smith and Simon Warburton

Getting to know you presentations from 2 of our newer members

Simon and Fiona will be giving us an insight into each of their backgrounds and what led them to Rotary and specifically our Club.

This is an opportunity to find out more than can been obtained from brief catchups at our weekly meetings. What really motivates them?

Supporting Nepal

Members of Port Nicholson Rotary Club and supporters,

At the Rotary meeting this morning we discussed the close association members of the Club have with Nepal and the previous support initiatives our Club has participated in, including building a school, rebuilding houses destroyed by earthquake, supplying smoke free stoves for village houses. The devastation from the deadly flash floods and landslides that has just occurred in Nepal, the loss of life and the dislocation of so many will require an enormous effort to fix. The best assistance at this stage is money.

Our Club, through the Charitable Trust, will coordinate the collection of donations from our members and, make a contribution to the Rotary Relief fund that has been set up by RNZWCS ( Rotary New Zealand World Community Service) .

Your support will assist the Nepal community to recover beyond replacing physical homes, to restoring their long-term economic, psychological, and social well-being.

Make your donation to RC Port Nicholson Charitable Trust account 03-0502-0407484-00 with the reference Nepal.

You probably already have the account set up on your mobile banking app. “Just Do It” as that great ad says.

Tax receipts will be issued by our Treasurer.

Make your donations before 10 September and know you are making a real difference to a lot of people.

Thank you all

Peter Whittington, Jo Douglas and David Barnes

President David

Hello Rotary friends,

It's already spring (technically, in the case of Wellington!) and we are a month away from our Grand Night out and the Radar Awards. We are all looking forward to these events.

On the 23 September we will have the Club Forum. Please make sure you come along to this. We are working on the format but this will feature an update on our club's direction and interactive exercises to obtain your feedback on issues the Board is dealing with.

We were all shocked and distressed at the recent avalanche and floods in Nepal. At the last meeting, Peter and Jo gave moving reflections on a journey by RCPN members to Nepal last decade and how devastating they could see this tragedy would be, based on the locals they met. We are collecting money to send to Nepal. Please make your donation today by depositing it in the Trust account and putting "Nepal" in the reference.

I was sorry to hear from Steve Lawton that he will be taking a leave of absence until November for health reasons. We wish Steve well and thank him for his work on the Radar Awards. Thanks to David S, Howard and Everard for your work and for your extra contributions while Steve is away.

We are meeting for Sunday dinner at Everybody Eats at 6.00pm on 20 September. Peter sent out an invitation last week. We went there about three years ago and it was an enjoyable experience, so don't miss this.

Finally, at our weekly meeting on 9 September, newer members Simon and Fiona are giving their New Members talks. Please be there to support them and hear their stories and what brought them to Rotary.

Have a good week.

David

The future looks good

Meetings, speakers and events coming up

16 September - Dr Melanie Young - Osteopathy and voluntary support for children in need
23 September - Club Forum
30 September Sarah Morris Encouraging participation and community power in response to creeping authoritarianism
7 October - Simon Douglas - Transport issues facing NZ now and into the future
14 October - RADAR awards
21 October (Wednesday evening) 2026 Grand Night Out - No breakfast meeting
28 October -Michael Nestmann Assisted Dying in NZ
4 November -Natalia Fareti International, domestic and regional initiatives supporting young Pacific change makers
18 November -Anna Fifield The Life and times of a journalist and foreign correspondent

2027

21 April - Goal Setters Awards at Te Papa. Early notice for your diary entry

A GRAND NIGHT OUT
is a special night in the Rotary Calendar

An update on the event Wednesday 21 October………. A fun and exciting fundraising evening, offering guests an exciting night out.
Now to let you know some of the Auction/Raffle items………

Wine Package
12 bottles of Premium Martinborough Ma Maison wine
Accommodation Packages:
Villa Bendega Bali – a spectacular villa in Canggu Bali;
Swiss-Belsuites Victoria Park, Auckland;
Swiss- BelSuites, Pounamu, Queenstown;
Glenfiddich Retreat, Jacks Point,
Queenstown; Swiss-Belhotel International,
The York, Sydney;
Bolton Hotel Wellington.
Jewellery:
Sue Shore, Off-Shore Jewellery;
Alison Blain Jewellery
Artwork:
Jacky Pearson – Watercolour Artist;
Juliet Best Artist
One more restaurant to go to achieve our target of 20…….
Boulcott Street Bistro, Cable Top Eatery, Cicio Cacio Osteria, Coene’s Bar & Eatery, Cuba Street Tavern, Floriditas, Loretta, Fratelli, Le Bouillon Bel Air, Liberty Restaurant, Logan Brown, Monsoon Poon, Noble Rot, Novotel Wellington, Rydges Wellington, Salty Pidgin,
Shed 5, The Regal, Thistle Inn.

GET A GROUP TOGETHER MAKE THIS A SPECIAL NIGHT
FOR YOU, YOUR FRIENDS, AND THE CHARITY

Sunday Dinner at Everybody Eats

20 September 2026 6.00pm

LTD, Level 1, 60 Dixon Street, Te Aro

Dear all,

Please join us on Sunday 20 September at 6.00pm for a relaxed Club Sunday Night Dinner at Everybody Eats, Dixon Street.

Everybody Eats is a koha-based restaurant in Wellington, where people pay what they can. We’ll enjoy a three-course meal together and, at the same time, support the terrific work they do in our community. Meals there generally cost around $10–$15 to produce, and we suggest a koha of $25 per person from our group to help support their work and the wider community. Please by 6pm Sunday 13 September.

A great opportunity for Rotary fellowship, good food and supporting a very worthwhile cause.

This is an entirely pay as you go event - spend as little or as much as you want. Pay on the night.

Please fell free to bring partners and other family members or friends.

We may need to book for a large group so please can I have all RSVPs by 6pm Sunday 13 September - don't forget to register any guests you want to bring so we have correct numbers.

Check out Everybody Eats at https://everybodyeats.nz/dine-with-us/wellington

Peter and David Barnes

Thank you

A big thank you to club members for generously providing pantry supplies to the September entry of refugees to Wellington.

Importance of Vic University for Wellington

The club had a thoughtful presentation from Professor Bryony James, the new Vice Chancellor at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington. Presenting a vision for the University, Bryony highlighted the importance of the university for Wellington and vice versa, with the student population being 10% of Wellington as a whole.