HOW IT WORKS
Fund-raising and Community Support are two sides of the same Rotary coin.
Our work is funded by the money we raise each year through our various fund-raising projects. The most well-known is the Kerikeri New World Rotary Garden Safari . The Garden Safari is an annual event, this year 2022, is the 35th and the event continues to grow from strength to strength.
While we put the money we raise to work we never lose sight of the fact that it’s really the community’s money. The community’s contribution. Quite literally, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do without the support of the people of Kerikeri, the Bay of Islands and the wider Mid North area.
Funds we’ve raised in recent years have gone towards projects like building the barbeques in the Kerikeri Basin Reserve, (and in 2018 the club upgraded the facilities with stainless steel tops) assisting with the building of 5 bridges for the Wairoa Stream track to the “long lost” Wairere water falls, distributing more than 230 personalised illustrated dictionaries to primary school-children across the region each year, and enabling a wide range of youth training programmes, including funding a $150,000 literacy programme through the Kaikohekohe Trust, clearing and replanting 1500 trees at Oruaiti school Wetlands and Honey project, supplying hydrotherapy equipment for people needing this- stroke victims, spinal injury. brain injury; providing traps to the Puketi Forest trust, sending 500 exercise books to Vanuatu schools wrecked by Cyclone Harry, along with providing a 20 foot container to transport a huge collection of donated goods to Vanuatu in 2021.
My wife and I moved to Kerikeri in 2016. I had been a member of Rotary in Christchurch for 20 years and so, not knowing anyone in Kerikeri, it was the logical move to join the Kerikeri RC. This instantly gave us a good sized group of friends who made us welcome.
I enjoy being part of a group of like-minded people who work hard to improve our community in lots of different ways; from funding youth exchange visits through to sponsoring children to attend science fairs, and everything in between.
I wanted to become involved with a community organisation. Rotary ticked all the boxes: fellowship, leadership, contribution to both local and international communities – and totally different to my day job.
The fellowship of Rotary is hugely rewarding. My favourite project is the Rotary International Youth Exchange, particularly accompanying these young people on their South Island Safari.
I joined Rotary because the Kerikeri club’s fund-raisers are always so much fun to be involved in. Rotary’s big on flexibility these days and that’s important because family and work always have to come first and second.
I joined Rotary when I was in my 20s and have benefitted both in business and socially from being an active member. I’ve made many lifelong friends through membership.
Rotary to me is about working with like-minded people who want to give something, either big or small, back to this wonderful community.
The Rotary Club of Kerikeri is a very well-established club. It provides the opportunity to contribute to our community in many ways I could not otherwise have imagined.
I joined the Rotary Club of Kerikeri 30 years ago to contribute to our communities, both local and international, and to have fun while doing it. The same motivation exists today.