During my recent visit to Aotearoa New Zealand, I saw first-hand the power of Rotarians who dare to ‘dream big’.
Article by RI Director Jessie Harman
During my ten day visit to New Zealand I saw all sorts of wonderful Rotary projects. However the ones that really struck a chord with me were the big, audacious projects – projects like:
- The Te Tai Tokerau Tamariki Mental Health Wellbeing project which will support 60 Northland schools and 450 teachers to help approximately 9,000 children to manage their big feelings.
- The Rotary Trees Trust initiative that is well on the way to achieving its goal to plant 250,000 trees across New Zealand in partnership with Conservation Volunteers New Zealand, local authorities, Rotary and other community organisations – to mark a century of Rotary service in New Zealand.
- The recently completed Te Ara Piko Pathway – a $5 million dollar, multi-year project partnership between the Rotary Club of Plimmerton and Porirua City Council which has seen the construction of a safe path around the entire northern side of Pāuatahanui Inlet.
- The Rotary Pathways Trust project in Napier, a multi-million dollar partnership between the local Rotary clubs and the local government authority resulting in the development of a network of more than 50km of paths walked, run and cycled by tens of thousands people around Napier each year.
- The Waitakere Hospital Pond redevelopment project which involved every member of the Rotary Club of Henderson working in partnership with the Hospital’s WELL Foundation to complete a project which wouldn’t otherwise have been possible.
These projects and more just like them, demonstrate Rotary’s power to truly make a difference. They showcase Rotary’s ability to identify real community need, to connect with members, donors and other important project partners and most importantly, they showcase our ability to take action to deliver positive and meaningful change.