International Activities

Dictionaries to Vanuatu - October 2011

As this year's Kerikeri New World Rotary Garden Safari nears, Kerikeri residents will be interested to hear of another recipient of the funds raised.

600 Dictionaries donated by the Kerikeri Rotary Club are being distributed by Peace Corps volunteers to Vanuatu.

The 70 volunteers serve for two years. Each of them will be taking dictionaries out to the six Provinces representing 83 different islands. They will be distributed to 68 sites including schools, aid posts, health centres, communities, dispensaries, women's groups, Save the Children and even government departments.

Some had already been delivered and many letters of thanks from the students and school principals are pouring in.

This Rotary partnership with Peace Corps will continue to distribute dictionaries and other literacy material in the future.

Letters of thanks from schools being handed to Maxine Neighbour by Sara Lightner (Peace
Corps.) Rufino Pineda and Port Vila Rotary Club President Mr Hong are between Sara,
Maxine and Murray. The two gentlemen at the back are local Peace Corps workers.

---

Kerikeri Rotarian's wife, Judith Burling, honoured with Paul Harris Fellowship

The presentation of a Paul Harris Fellowship to Judith Burling was made by Neil Murray, IYE Chair.

It was presented on the Milford Wanderer, Milford Sound, during the South Island trip of the International Exchange students in recognition of her many years of support and service to the Exchange Programme - in particular accompanying their South Island Safari for numerous years.

---

International committee projects include:

International Exchange Students

Outgoing local exchange students in 2010

The three Kerikeri Rotary outward bound exchange students visited the Club to receive their kits from Margaret Parmenter and President John Toms, and shared their hopes for the adventures ahead.

Margaret Parmenter with Erin Halliwell, Cassidy Gunner and Sarah Hazeldine.

Sarah Hazeldine is going to Austria, and Cassidy Gunner is bound for Switzerland as part of the year long programme. Erin Halliwell who is heading for Canada is on a Match Exchange for 3 months after which her Canadian 'sister' will spend 3 months here.

Each spoke of who they are and what their expectations of the experience of living in another country feel like. They gave well prepared, interesting talks. They will each be worthy representatives of our club, our town and our country.

August 2010: Olivia Solman

Well - I am 17 years old and when I am not in Kerikeri, I live in a town in Southern Sweden called Lidkoping. It is a small town but bigger then Kerikeri. I live in a house in the city with my mum, dad and my younger brother. I have just finished year the at the social studies line at the local high school. On my spare time am I seeing my friends, playing the bassoon, singing in a choir and are involved in the scouts.

I decided that I wanted to go as an exchange student in May 2009, I have always been thinking about going because my mum went to Germany when she was young. One day in May last year I saw the poster that really got me into exchange, it was a poster about different exchanges with Rotary. I went home and read everything I could find on the internet, that was how I spent that summer. Reading blogs and about different organisations and everything about exchange. I was thinking for over a half year, I could not decide where and when and with which organisation I wanted to go. Then one day in November did I realize that I wanted to go with Rotary and that I wanted to go 2010/2011. I still didn't know which country I wanted to go to but I decided to put New Zealand as my first choice because it would be amazing if I got it.

Then began the long application process with papers to fill in and doctors to visit. I got accepted but I didn't know which country I was going to, then on the 1st of March 2010 I received an email that said 'congratulations, you are going to New Zealand!!'. I was really happy and couldn't wait to go. I didn't have a special place in New Zealand that I wanted to go to so I would have been happy with anything. But to get placed in the Bay of Island was like icing on the exchange cake! I was not even sure that I would get New Zealand because I was late with my applications and New Zealand is really popular. Then to get placed in Kerikeri, that was amazing!

And here I am in beautiful Kerikeri with a wonderful Hostclub and so many things to look forward to! I even arrived just in time for the Ball during my first week here.

That’s a little about me and my life.

Olivia Solman seated right, gave her first talk to the Club telling us all about her homeland Sweden. Did you know that high school students in Sweden get paid a bonus for full attendance at school? Olivia was ably supported on the night by her KKHS buddies, and the BOI Rotary Clubs exchange student.

Special moments since I arrived:

Being greeted at the airport by a group of people speaking kiwi English!!! Met a lot of wonderful Rotarians and other peoples.

Seeing a real Kiwi sheep. Wearing a school uniform for the first time in my life. Going to the school ball and getting ready for the ball. Eating kumara for the first time. Drinking Milo for the first time in my life. Falling in love with Crunchie bars( they might be a weight risk, I will definitely put on some Crunchie kilos). Going to Rolands Wood. Walking through the jungle on my way to school. (Olivia finds the evergreen vegetation totally different from Sweden. It's like a jungle to her).

Going to the nice Rotary meetings and being so warmly welcomed. Being welcomed to New Zealand by the New World check out lady (that would never happen in Sweden).

Spending time with the nice International students at Kerikeri High school. Hanging out at lunch with my Kiwi buddy and her friends. Through Stephanie one of my Kiwi buddies I have gotten to know a lot of the nice year thirteens and through Emily my other Kiwi buddy I have gotten to know some really nice year twelves.(A kiwi buddy is a student at Kerikeri High that takes care of one international student each and makes them feel at home at school).

Picking mandarins, fun and a new experience since mandarins don't grow in Sweden. Going for a tiki tour around Inlet Road. Cooking dinner for my host family( I made a beautiful Lasagna). Learning Kiwi slang like 'Sweet as' and 'jaffas'.

The subjects I am taking at school are Outdoor education, Art, Art History, English, IT essentials and History.

July 2010: We say Goodbye to Janet

For the past twelve months our French exchange student, Janet Trigolet, has been hosted by our club and at our club meeting on the 5 July 2010, she was our guest speaker prior to her returning to France.

Janet talked about her twelve months in New Zealand, her four host families who provided four different hosting environments, her time at Kerikeri High School and the various activities she has taken part in. Janet has had a very full year, seen a lot of New Zealand, including a three week tour around the South Island with other Rotary exchange students. She has done many things that have made her time in New Zealand special for her and for our club.

Janet with club president John Toms

We thank Janet for coming to Kerikeri, for being such a great student to have here and wish her well for her return to her family and to her country.

Outgoing local exchange students in 2009 were:

• Cathal Gorman, in Finland
• Zara Parmenter, in Austria
• Hannah Davies, in Switzerland

Photo: Hannah Davies, Steff, Zara Parmenter, Ciera and Kelly (not shown Cathal Gorman)

Incoming exchange student 2009:

Janet Trigolet from France

Janet is 17 years old. She has two older brothers and an older sister. Janet loves horses, rugby and cooking.

Photo: Janet Trigolet (left) and friends

Since she has been here, Janet has seen a lot of the coastline from Taipa to Tutukaka which she found extremely beautiful. She has ridden horses, done a lot of cooking, met a wide range of people and is looking forward to seeing her first live rugby game shortly.

Supporting the International Polio Eradication Campaign

With specific fund raisers such as the distribution of new recycling bins to households around Kerikeri for the Far North District Council on Saturday, 27th September 2009.

GSE - the Rotary Group Study Exchange programme

This year the group will go to France.

Unfortunately, there were no applicants for the group study exchange this year. The programme has now closed for applications for this year.

RANZSE (Rotary Australia New Zealand Short-term Exchange)

Matched twin exchange with Australia. The Year 10 students spend three month in Australia living with the family of their matched twin, followed by thee months with their twin back here in New Zealand.

Off to Oz - RANZSE 2010

Photo: (from l to r) Keri Rotarian Chris Burrows presents this year's match twins Cain Reid and Charlotte Fladgate with their back-packs for their 3 months in Australia.

Two intrepid 14 year olds are off to Australia on 27th March to represent Kerikeri and New Zealand during this year's Rotary Australia/New Zealand Short-term exchange programme. Kerikeri High school students Cain Reid and Charlotte Fladgate are the lucky ones that have been matched with families over there. They get to live for three months with their matched family and then their ozzie brother or sister comes over here to stay for another 3 months in New Zealand. Cain is going to Moffat Beach, north of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, while Charlotte is going to a town of 400 residents called Guerie near Dubbo in NSW. They are both really looking forward to the experience and hear from past participants that their ozzie Safari sight-seeing trip is usually amazing.

RANZSE 2009

Photo: PP Lian Brott with Australians Kaitlin Piggott, Dominick York, and Hannah. (Not shown: Haydyn Jurisich)

in 2009, Kerikeri Rotary Club has agreed to sponsor three students. We are pleased to be sponsoring the following candidates who, we believe, will make excellent ambassadors for their families, their schools, their communities and our Rotary Club:

• Charlotte Fladgate from Kerikeri: Age 14 - attends Kerikeri High School
• Sarah Clifford from Okaihau: Age 14 - attends Okaihau College
• Cain Reid from Kerikeri: Age 14 - attends Kerikeri High School

All three students are waiting for matches to be confirmed for them in Australia.

President Owen Smith welcoming home our 2009 RANZSE short term exchange students

Our Australia exchange students Hannah Choat and Hayden Jurisich visited the club on Monday 9th November to tell us of their experiences. A highlight for both was the Australia Safari with other NZ exchange students. Hayden, an only child, stayed with a family of nine in Inverell, while Hannah lived on a remote station by NZ standards in Mullands SA. They learned lots about adaptability and had a great time.

International Fellowship & Friendship Exchange

A contingent from America is due to arrive in the Bay of Islands for the opening of the Motuti Carving School on Waitangi Day 2009. A group from India is also due towards the end of 2009 and it is hoped that they will be hosted by one of the Rotary Clubs in the area.

Tangoa Island, Vanuatu

Possible future involvement in a water and sanitation project at the local school.

Espirito Santo, Vanuatu

Our International committee, and Sherryl Neale in particular, has successfully shipped five wheelchairs off to Santo for the use of villagers in remote locations and for a school at Narangau. With special thanks to Invacare for their generous donation of two new child size wheelchairs.

ShelterBox Project

Our Club is supporting ShelterBox in our region with displays during the Garden Safari, Northern Crossing and at the Waimate North Show. more>>>

Rotaract

The Kerikeri Rotary Club is looking to support the formation of a Rotaract Club which will cater for 18 to 30 year old people who are interested in aspects of Rotary.