District Governor Martin’s February Message
 

 
January is a month when many Rotarians are on holiday enjoying their ‘summer’ holidays.  Many Rotary Clubs do not start meeting again until the second or even third week in January.  This makes it difficult for us in the Southern Hemisphere to focus on the Rotary theme for that month, which is Vocational Service.
One of the great strengths of Rotary is that we bring people together from different occupations/vocations and backgrounds.
 
Vocational service provides us with many opportunities:
  • Promotion of the highest ethical standards in all occupations, including fair treatment of employers, employees, associates, competitors, and the public.
  • The recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, not just those that are pursued by Rotarians.
  • The contribution of our vocational talents to solving the problems of society and meeting the needs of the community.
I suggest all Clubs review their vocational service programmes to ensure they are maximising the opportunities and benefits that vocational service provides.  Our District Vocational Service Chair, Liz Koh, is available to help you with any information or advice you may need.
Do you have a good cross-section of occupations in your Club?  Any gaps are surely an opportunity for increased membership to bring in new skills, knowledge, connections and friendships into your Club.
We learn more about the opportunities Rotary can provide us and others by attending training events and conferences.  Over the past six months, we are very pleased to have seen many committed Rotarians participating in workshops such as Club Development and Club Design.  In just over a month, Presidents Elect will be attending their training at the Waipuna Hotel and Conference Centre.  All of the details are at https://sppetsnz.wordpress.com/  You will recognise the MC and our District Governor Elect on the ‘Guest Presenters’ page.
Another great opportunity is the National Membership Seminar being held in Wellington on 18 March.  We need to start talking about membership as an opportunity rather than a problem. 
The District Training Assembly for all Rotarians will be held this year in New Plymouth on the afternoon of Sunday 23 April, immediately following the District Conference.  What a great opportunity to attend the Conference and training, while also having an enjoyable time in Taranaki.  The Taranaki Clubs have many activities planned for you at http://www.rcnpw.org.nz/events/
We are anticipating that ‘summer’ will have arrived by April, so register now for Conference here and for the District Training Assembly through DGE Mitchell Brown.