While some projects require only our voluntary labour, others require fundraising.
Corporate Casinos
Whakatū Rotary organises and runs corporate casinos throughout the year to raise funds for our community projects. We are a not-for-profit organisation and the funds we raise from each casino are returned to the community in some form. When you hire our casino, you are in turn supporting the community.
We have all the casino games and equipment, and the experienced croupiers and assistants you’ll need for a fun night out, whether you’ve played the games before or not. We offer Blackjack, Roulette, Texas Hold’em Poker, Crown & Anchor, Sic Bo, Craps, Wheel of Fortune and Kentucky Derby, and our members are trained croupiers who can guide you through the rules of the game. We are always adding new games to our lineup, so be sure to ask about them.
We are hired to put on a night of guaranteed fun. Guests play with casino chips, not real money. At the end of each round, winners’ names are collected and at the end of the evening, six of those names are drawn and head to the high-rollers table for a deciding game of Blackjack.
We hire our casino services for birthday and Christmas parties, school balls, conferences, and as part of the entertainment laid on for large community fundraising events.
Our members enjoy a night out in formal dress rolling dice, dealing cards and spinning wheels. Depending on the size and style of your function, our casinos can be small (two tables hosting around 30 guests) or large (10 to 15 tables and games hosting more than 200+ guests).
To enquire or find out more about how a Whakatū corporate casino can enhance your function, please get in touch.
Email: secretary@rotarywhakatu.club
Community Grants
For large projects we have been successful in raising hundreds of thousands of dollars by applying to community funding agencies like the Rata and Mainland Foundations, the Lotteries Grants Board, and Pub Charity, and securing donations in kind from generous companies and individuals.
Donations and grants from these organisations and others substantially helped the Rotoiti Lodge Outdoor Education Centre upgrade and securing Mobile Community Hub Caravans across the Top of the South Island. Both of these projects have been led by Whakatū Rotary and utilised the collaboration of other Rotary clubs in Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough.
Rotary District Grants
Grants to supplement club funds for particular projects, both local and international are available through Rotary District 9999, which covers the South Island of New Zealand.
Whakatū Rotary has been successful many times in securing district grants, often a dollar to dollar match, and sometimes in collaboration with other local Rotary clubs.
Projects that have benefitted from District Grants in the last few years include the Age Concern deck and fencing (2025), Nelson Environment Centre/Kai Rescue van and charging battery, The Male Room Whare Haumaru day hub for homeless men, and the Rotoiti Lodge Outdoor Education Centre upgrade.
Club Fundraisers
The club also raises funds with special events. We mark World Polio Day each October with a club fundraising breakfast, all funds going to the Rotary Foundation in aid of our global aim to eradicate polio forever.
Our weekly club raffle funds go to help various organisations or causes. These have included Nelson Tasman Hospice, the Nelson Cancer Society, Victory School in aid of the purchase of books by pupils at the Founders Book Fair, and End Polio Now.
You can follow our fundraising events and the projects they support by following our Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/rotarywhakatu
