Whakatū Rotary is involved in a wide range of projects, both large and small. We also give support to a number of community organisations. Sometimes that support is in voluntary labour, sometimes it is financial. Over the last eight years we have led two large multiclub projects in the Top of the South Island.
Mobile Community Hub Caravans
Whakatū Rotary is currently leading this project to raise funds for the provision of mobile community hub caravans for use by Fire & Emergency NZ (FENZ) and other support agencies during emergencies and natural disasters in the Top of the South Island. The caravans are fully self-contained with generators and solar panels to run off the grid, and offer a small kitchen with external BBQ, as well as a private meeting room, with wifi, sound system, screens, whiteboards, and covered seating options. When not needed for an emergency, the caravans are available for Rotary and community use. We have so far been successful in securing two caravans, one in Nelson City and one in Blenheim. Fundraising is underway for a third in Tasman, and another on the West Coast.
Rotoiti Lodge Outdoor Education Centre
We were the lead club in a $2.5m upgrade of Rotoiti Lodge Outdoor Education Centre at St Arnaud in Nelson Lakes National Park. The lodge was built in the 1960s with Rotary volunteer labour and between 2018 and 2020 we brought together several other Top of the South Rotary clubs to help provide labour for a huge upgrade. This ensured the lodge could continue offering quality outdoor education experiences for students primarily from the Top of the South but also Christchurch and Wellington. The club continues to support the lodge with further improvements and trust board membership.
the Mitre10 Mega Nelson Helping Hands Programme to build
a large deck at Rotoiti Lodge
Key Partners
Big Brothers Big Sisters
We are a sponsor of Big Brothers Big Sisters Nelson Tasman and have several members who mentor children through the programme. Over the years members have also served as BBBS directors and become a life member. The club actively supports BBBS Nelson Tasman with mentor-mentee sponsorship, volunteers to help run the annual fundraising golf tournament and dinner-auction.
Age Concern Nelson Tasman
The club is developing a partnership with Age Concern, conscious our elders are increasingly a vulnerable sector of our community. We have supported the organisation with financial support for emergency kits, and a district grant and Rotary volunteer labour contributed to the construction of a new outdoor area incorporating a deck, planter boxes and boundary fence.
Multicultural Nelson Tasman
The Nelson Tasman Multicultural Festival is an annual fixture on our calendar. Over years we have helped to set up and take down festival gazebos, undertaken carparking direction, and had our own Rotary promotion stands.
We also work with the Victory Community Centre, helping to run its winter community dinners and the annual Matariki Lantern Hikoi.
Meet Nelson
Our newest community partnership is with Meet Nelson, a new not-for-profit social events group. Meet Nelson is for people aged 21 to 39 years old, who reside in Nelson and want to meet and connect with other people of a similar age range. Meet Nelson hosts regular events like quizes and our casino to provide these opportunities. Whakatū Rotary sees our partnership with Meet Nelson as a great way to connect with younger people in our community.
Other Partners & Projects
Founders Heritage Park Book Fair
Nelson Christmas Tree
In conjunction with the Nelson Santa Parade Trust we install and dismantle the city’s Christmas tree each festive season. It’s a fun way to get into the Christmas spirit and attracts a lot of attention.
Nelson Santa Parade
Working with the Nelson Santa Parade Trust, club members drive floats, walk alongside floats and even appear on floats in key roles. (Pst, Father Christmas and Ariel have been known to attend a club meeting or two!) We also have members who serve as parade trustees.
International projects
Uganda: We’ve donated funds to an extended family in Uganda which supports a number of orphaned children. This includes several members helping to sponsor the education of a number of the children and the club contributing seed money to help one of the adult, tertiary trained family members to establish a hair salon in support of the family.
Vanuatu: Sponsorship and district grants supported local women in Vanuatu to sew washable menstrual sanitary kits for girls and women, and provide reproductive health education through schools.
Fiji: A team of Rotarians from Whakatū and other clubs travelled to Tuveuni Island to build a new school teachers’ house as part of a school rebuild in the wake of severe Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2015. The club also provided several education scholarships to village children.
Nepal: Financial donations and labour was supplied by the club to help rebuild homes in Bridim village which was devastated by a 2015 earthquake.
Shelterbox and ERKs: the club donates funds to the Rotary supported disaster relief organisation Shelterbox, which provides aid boxes globally in times of natural and man-made disasters and war, and for the New Zealand Rotary Emergency Response Kits (ERKs) , which are positioned in South Pacific nations ready for use when needed.
Education and Sporting Equipment for Pacific Nations: Equipment collected by club members was packed into a container bound for the Pacific Islands.