Four District 9910 clubs - Kerikeri, Waipapa, Bay of Island and Kaikohe - based in Northland, New Zealand worked together to successfully apply for District Grants to enable them to proudly fund the purchase of a van to support Blue Light youth activities across the wider Bay of Plenty/Whangaroa area.

Article written by PDG Peter Garnett, Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator based on information provided in the District Grant applications and subsequent publicity.

In New Zealand, Blue Light is a Youth Organisation providing an extensive range of Youth Camps, Programmes and Support. It is a registered charity that works in partnership with the New Zealand Police. The Blue Light Mission “is empowering young people nationwide to be better New Zealanders through quality experience”.

Their aim is to meet the needs of the community by:

• Delivering quality experiences for young people in order for them to develop their potential
• Partnering with communities
• Delivering social services in the community
• Enhancing community safety
• Building positive relationships between police, young people, their whanau and their community
• Reducing youth crime through prevention

Back in September 2022, the Chairperson of the Kerikeri/Kaeo Blue Light committee approached the Rotary Clubs of Kerikeri, Bay of Islands, Waipapa and Kaikohe to seek their support for their Mid North activities. He advised that transportation was a huge issue in the area. Parents were often unable to cover the costs of fuel to transport their children to events. This was compounded by the fact that a high number of vehicles in the north are unreliable and poorly maintained. Blue Light had identified their most immediate need was for a vehicle to provide transport for youth and a youth worked across the wider Bay of Plenty/Whangaroa area.

The Rotary Clubs of Kerikeri, Bay of islands, Waipapa and Kaikohe accepted the challenge. Their members understood the need as there had been a recent spate of ram raids and burglaries in the area, predominantly committed by youth. They noted Blue Light is not funded by the Police and does depend on local community organisations for support. So they agreed to work together to fund the purchase of a van, as they believed it would have a positive effect on their respective communities.

They each successfully applied for a District 9910 District Grant in 2022-23. These, combined with each club’s contribution of funds, enabled them to purchase a good condition police disposal van. The NZ police agreeing to cover the running costs, including insurance and registration.

Jack Armstrong Rotary Waipapa, Liz Henley Rotary Kaikohe, Simon Knight Rotary Kerikeri and Jack Poutsma Rotary Bay of Islands proudly showing off the Blue Light van jointly sponsored by their clubs.

The van is already proving it’s worth supporting the Blue Light youth activities, resulting in a positive effect on the Mid North communities. Well done to the four clubs for their initiative and ongoing support for their community needs.