Kia ora koutou katoa
E he wai te kai.   Water is the best food.
 
March is Rotary Water and Sanitation month.  How timely is that with COVID - 19 on our minds.  Access to clean water for everyone and good sanitation is essential for a healthy life.  Best advice right now is to follow the guidance of our Ministry of Health.
 
 
 
What else makes me think about good guidance for our Rotary clubs.  I’ve now visited nearly all our clubs and I am astounded by how many of our clubs Charitable Trusts have amassed significant sums from community projects and have failed to give most of those funds back to meet the needs of their communities.  Rotary Trusts should not be sitting on big piles of money for long periods of time.  Of course some is needed for the next Rotary year and some as a contingency but review your situation, reduce your reserves and give more back to the people you serve at the local, District, Zone or international level.  Need help – call me!
 
 
International Womens Day, supported by Rotary, is also in March.  This year the theme is ‘An equal world is an enabled world’.  Women advocating for women within Rotary is part of what we live and breathe.  An exemplary programme doing just that is the Hutt Rotary Innovative Young Minds  (IYM) initiative.  IYM identifies, supports and invests in young women showing promise in Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Manufacturing studies.  The 2020 IYM programme is open for applications now. Go there   https://www.iym.org.nz/
 
Finally, our Presidents Elect Training, the South Pacific Presidents Elect Training  Seminar, the 9940 District Assembly and online training are open to all Rotary leaders.  District 9940 is buzzing with structured, individualised and informal learning opportunities for people belonging to Rotary.  Our trainers and Assistant Governors are influential in facilitating challenging conversations within and between clubs.  Our clusters are rich with examples of co-operation and collaboration of clubs working together where this makes sense.  I could not ask for more except to ask all clubs to be fully represented at our District Conference on 15 -17 May 2020.  Organise your team and register now  https://rotary9940.org/page/conference2020
 
Ngā mihi
 
John H Mohi