We still need your candidates for RYLA (18-24 year olds) details below.
Contributions to our bulletin are welcome and if you have anything please send to Richard at nabbo_123@hotmail.com
And if you have any comments on the layout, content and information provided, let us know, because the Newsletter is yours.
Rotary Hutt City breakfast meetings
Meetings are held 7am to 8.30 am on the first and third Wednesday of the month at Boulcott's Farm Heritage Golf Club, Military Road, Lower Hutt.
For those of you who have not pre-paid, breakfast continues to cost $25 per person, payable on arrival to this coming week, to Andy Barker, the designer of the new Breakfast booking system - more below.
Members, don't forget to check the Duties Roster (Meeting Responsibilities) below for your nominated duty for our next meeting on 4 November. A reminder that in the first instance it is your responsibility to find an alternate, if you cannot make the date.
Meeting Responsibilities
Greeter
Down, Helen
Payment Taker
Barker, Andy
Reception Desk
Carruth, Barry
Opening thought
Cherian, Ganesh
Intro to Speaker
Cranna, Rob
Thanks to Speaker
Ross, Brian
Quizlett (6 questions about your industry)
Soper, Andy
Closing thought
Hughes, Gaylene
President's Word - Greetings from Buenos Aires!
Hola everyone!
Greetings from Buenos Aires, where I’ve temporarily swapped Rotary breakfast meetings for football stadiums, Argentine steaks and the occasional glass of red wine. It’s a tough assignment, but someone has to do it!
I’m over here on a 10-day football extravaganza with my good mate Mike, and what an experience it’s been. Argentina doesn’t just love football – it’s practically a religion!
So far, we’ve been to matches at Argentinos Juniors, San Lorenzo and River Plate. River Plate is the wealthy club of Argentine football, with an incredible stadium holding around 85,000 fans. The atmosphere at these games is something else – drums, singing, flags, flares and fireworks. And that’s before anyone has even kicked a ball! I thought Liverpool supporters were passionate, but the Argentinians take it to another level.
And we’re not finished yet! We’ve got another three games to go, including the big one this Sunday – Boca Juniors versus River Plate, the famous Superclásico, one of the fiercest football rivalries in the world. We’ve already explored La Boca, the colourful and vibrant neighbourhood that’s home to Boca Juniors, and it’s an experience in itself. The streets are full of brightly painted buildings, murals, music and, of course, football. We’re heading back there on Sunday for the big match, and I suspect it’s going to be an experience we’ll never forget!
We’ve also been following in the footsteps of the legendary Diego Maradona, visiting some of the places associated with the great man. His influence on Argentine football is everywhere.
It hasn’t all been football, though. We’re staying in Recoleta, a beautiful part of Buenos Aires, and we’ve managed to fit in some sightseeing. We’ve visited the magnificent Teatro Colón opera house, the world-famous El Ateneo Grand Splendid bookshop, the pink presidential palace, Casa Rosada, and the iconic Obelisk. Buenos Aires really is a fascinating city, full of history, stunning architecture and wonderful people.
And then there’s the food!
One of the highlights was visiting Betty and Marcelo for an authentic Argentine barbecue experience. Marcelo is an Argentine grill master champion, so we were quite literally in the hands of the best of the best. We watched him demonstrate his skills before enjoying some magnificent steaks. I should point out that we didn’t cook them ourselves – which was probably a very good thing!
Meanwhile, back in the Hutt Valley, Rotary life has continued without me. I’m beginning to suspect the club may have discovered it can function perfectly well without its President!
A very special thank you to Katrina Harding for stepping back into the President’s role and running the two breakfast meetings while I’ve been away. It’s hugely appreciated, Katrina, and reassuring to know everything is in such capable hands. I hope the members have been behaving themselves for you!
A warm welcome also to Tyler and the Naenae Youth Charitable Trust, who are joining our Rotary family. It’s fantastic to have another local organisation involved, particularly one working with young people in our community.
We’re also heading towards one of our lovely Christmas traditions, the Tree of Joy at Queensgate. For 10 days in mid-December, we’ll be collecting donated gifts for children and young people up to 17 years old, which will be distributed to local charities with the help of the Salvation Army. The roster will be in two-hour shifts, so please put your hand up when the details come out. It’s a wonderful way to make Christmas a little brighter for local families.
Another important initiative is Rotary’s Say No to Domestic and Family Violence campaign, which launched across several New Zealand and Pacific regions earlier this month. District 9940 will launch its campaign at the 2 November dinner at the Wellington Club, with Rotary Foundation Chair-Elect and Past Rotary International President Gordon McInally. A very worthwhile cause deserving our support.
Thanks again to Katrina and everyone else keeping our club ticking along while I’m away. I look forward to catching up with you all when I return.
As for us, we’re leaving Buenos Aires on Friday and heading across to Montevideo, Uruguay, for three nights, before moving on to Rio de Janeiro for another four nights and then finally heading home. So there’s still plenty of South American adventure ahead of us!
For now, it’s adiós from Buenos Aires. There are still three football matches to survive, a few sights to see, probably another steak or two to investigate, and hopefully a little time to recover before we get home. At this rate, I might need a holiday to recover from the holiday!
See you all soon!
Craig
Craig Deadman | Packaging Products Ltd
General Manager
M. 021 799 551
Alongside the AGM on 18 November will be a presentation on the results of the Club survey in a Let's Discuss Rotary session. So far, there have been around 20 responses. Do please spend some time before 4 November's deadline in giving your views, it is important.
From President Craig
As I mentioned in a previous newsletter column, the Board would like to hear from you about our club and how we’re performing.
Below is a link to a short survey. It has 12 questions and should only take a few minutes. We’d especially welcome your comments and ideas on membership growth, club activities and fundraising, and our meeting structure.
The survey is completely anonymous, and we’ll share the collated results at our club meeting on 18 November.
We’d love to hear from you, so please take a moment to fill it in. If you have any questions, just let me know. By 4 November please.
Our Annual General Meeting will be held during Breakfast on Wednesday 18 November. The Agenda is below, along with President Katrina's and Treasurer Barry's reports.
Full details with relevant documentation can be found on the Club Website. You can download the relevant papers by using this link:
Polio: Linton & Heather's Memories 2011 Part I (Part II to follow)
Following on from Peter Kyle's talk in August and the recent World Polio Day on Saturday 24 October, Linton will be speaking to us at our next Breakfast meeting on 4 November.
In the meantime, here is a page from Heather's diary when she and Linton visited a hospital in 2011.
First steps, learning to walk
Today's Date 30 October
In New Zealand on 30 October 1918, prohibition supporters presented Parliament with a petition containing more than 240,000 signatures demanding an end to the manufacture and sale of alcohol in New Zealand.
Since the 1880s the campaign for prohibition had developed into a powerful mass movement. During the First World War, its supporters promoted sobriety as a ‘patriotic duty’. In 1915 and 1916 nearly 160,000 New Zealanders signed petitions calling for hotels to close at six o’clock. In 1917 the government agreed to restrict opening hours to increase the efficiency of the workforce.
The 1918 petition showed that support for prohibition remained strong. Early closing hours were now made permanent. The liquor trade offered little resistance, judging that reduced opening hours had calmed the wider prohibition movement and were preferable to a total ban.
Prohibition was only narrowly defeated in a special referendum held in April 1919, and again at a vote held alongside the general election in December 1919. The cause continued to enjoy strong support at the polls in the 1920s.
This New Zealand Alliance for the Abolition of the Liquor Traffic poster from the 1920s urges voters to support the national prohibition of liquor. Although the twin 1919 referenda are often seen as the climax of the prohibition struggle in New Zealand, the issue remained hugely important into the 1920s. The prohibition cause fell only narrowly short of a majority in both 1922 and 1925.
For President Craig:
Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through The Grapevine reached no. 1 in Amerca in 1968.
Black Sabbath's four original members reunited momentarily to play Paranoid on US TV's David Letterman Show in 1998.
Not much to report, the Bees are still there, if you haven't seen them yet, but they will be gone soon when the Bee in The City art trail finishes on 8 November.
The auction site however is now open. On Thursday 26 November all 30 giant Bees – truly exceptional pieces of artwork painted by kiwi artists – are going under the hammer at auction to raise vital funds that help keep the Life Flight Air Ambulance Planes and Westpac Chopper flying.
Whether you display it in your workplace, your garden or donate it to a worthy home, we are grateful for your support to our Bee in the City auction.
Online bidding is now open ahead of the Live Auction on 26 November from 7pm.
You’re only a few steps away from bidding online and calling a Bee your own, by registering on the Bee in The City online auction platform.
Once registered, you can explore more than 30 unique Bee sculptures, choose your favourites, and start bidding online. You can also set a maximum bid and let the platform bid automatically on your behalf.
On auction night, log in online to watch the livestream and bid live as the auction unfolds – you don’t want to miss your chance to win your favourite Bee!
Past President Katrinaled the meeting in the absence of President Craig who had just begun his footballing holiday in South America.
First up, Naenae Boxing Academy, who have just joined the Club as an associate charity member, were represented by Kerri Graham (wife of Billy and a 5.30am start from Carterton!), their new Boxing Academy Manager, Tyler Stephenson and two Club representatives, Hene and Athan. Tyler will help reconnect and rebuild the relationship which we have had previously with Billy Graham.
Kerri explained that when the Academy had started, it was strictly male only, but times have changed significantly.
Tyler reported that over a 100 girls had now tried boxing; there was a wait list for girls; and the number of regulars boxing meant there was a 50/50 split with the boys.
Hene was one of the first female boxers and she explained how the Academy's environment had made her into less of a ''naughty girl.''
Athan's path was worth telling too. He had not wanted to box, preferring other sports, but his parents persuaded him to go along and he is now beginning to coach others.
In conclusion, both Kerri and Tyler highlighted the possible synergies between the young people of the Academy and the ''older!'' members of Rotary. Watch this space!
Next up was Alex Hockley Director of the Wellington Heritage Festival. Alex admitted that he had only just uncovered that this year's festival was the tenth!
The Festival is a Wellington region wide programme of over 170 community led culture and heritage events, delivered by local iwi, councils, communities, volunteers and other organisations. It is run by the Wellington Festival Trust and the Rotary Clubs of Greater Wellington.
There has been significant growth in the last five years with events rising from 60 to over 170. Difficult to know exact numbers, but it is estimated that between 14,000 and 20,000 visited in 2025.
The Rotary partnership has been crucial with sponsorship, networking and contributing to the running of the Festival Board.
In relation to Lower Hutt, Alex would like to see growth in its presence within the Festival going forward.
It was then time for Sue Colville to fine everybody and remind us all that if we haven't done so already, the Club wants your survey answers in good time for the Breakfast discussion on 18 November.
Allan Brown then informed us that his Quizlet would be ''very easy'' but it caught many people out with questions like how long were the 100 Years and 30 Years wars, and how many trees are there on One Tree Hill!
Looking Back 21 October: trip to OpenStar Technologies
OpenStar Technologies is an ambitious New Zealand deep-tech startup company, pioneering commercial nuclear fusion to provide clean, limitless baseload energy.
Founded in 2021 by Dr. Ratu Mataira in Wellington, the company uses an unconventional "inside-out" reactor design known as a levitated dipole.
Instead of traditional, massive tokamak configurations, OpenStar's unique approach utilizes a single, high-temperature superconducting magnet floating freely inside a 5-meter vacuum chamber to contain ultra-hot plasma. Having successfully demonstrated plasma confinement in their prototype reactor, OpenStar aims to generate commercial revenue through medical isotope production before delivering
grid-scale electricity by the early 2030s.
Linton, along with Allan and his grandson Ethan, Brian and Ganesh, had the good fortune to experience an OpenStar guided tour.
Linton writes:
''Everyone was buzzing about the presentation and all commented on your ability to impart very technical information and make it understandable to us.
The Open Star project is both exciting and mind blowing in its scale and potential for NZ. We also reflected about how our Rotary Club had started Innovative Young Minds nine years ago not thinking that the young students would be exposed to cutting edge science such as Fusion!!''
Linton wrote a thank you to OpenStar and they replied with a link to the attached video of PM Chris Luxon pressing the button to create the first fusion test in February this year. This event was not only a major technological milestone but also brought together many other prominent NZ figures apart from Chris Luxon.
Alaina also presented Linton with a miniature replica of the levitating dipole, made out of the same material which he will bring to a future Rotary meeting.
Host Alaina shows this dipole 500kg, which is inside the vacuum chamber and is levitated by powerful magnets top and bottom.
OpenStar
Looking Forward 4 November - Allan Brown & The Great Harbour Way Trust
Our very own Allan Brown will be talking about the launch of the Great Harbour Way Trust's new website.
Allan writes: Rotary’s vision takes the Great Harbour Way to its next milestone
The Rotary Club of Hutt City will celebrate an exciting milestone on 4 November when it hosts the launch of the new Great Harbour Way – Te Aranui o Pōneke website.
The Great Harbour Way has its roots in Rotary’s success with the Hutt River Trail. Building on that achievement, Hutt City, Eastern Hutt, Petone and Eastbourne Rotary clubs helped establish the vision of extending walking and cycling opportunities around Wellington Harbour.
For many years, the Great Harbour Way Trust has advocated for councils and NZTA to invest in a continuous harbour-side route. That vision is now close to becoming a reality, with substantial investment creating a wonderful recreational asset for the region.
Now it’s time to get the word out!
The Trust is shifting its focus from advocacy to promotion, and its new website is an important step. Visitgreatharbourway.nzto discover the route, its spectacular views, attractions and local businesses.
The goal is to encourage more visitors to explore Wellington by foot or bicycle, spend an extra day in the region, and enjoy the harbour’s scenery and experiences along the way.
Our 4 November meeting will be a special occasion, bringing together Rotarians, Great Harbour Way Trust members, City Councillors, MPs and other supporters who have helped bring this vision to life.
Guest speakers will be former Wellington City Council Mayor Celia Wade-Brown and Graeme Hall, the Trust’s current chair. They will share reflections on the journey so far and what this new phase means for the project.
It’s a great example of Rotary’s long-term community vision turning into something tangible — and a reminder that the work doesn’t stop when the infrastructure is built. The next challenge is to help people discover it!
A Reminder of Club Meeting Duties: Quizlet
Intended as a fun interlude centred around your choice of a challenging topic ideally linked to your career
as it gives another opportunity for members to find out what you do, plus it raises money for the Club!
• make a short topical quiz of about six questions, each with three possible answers (a,b,c options);
• those who get the answer right can celebrate, everyone else is to pay. “….. be generous;” and
• Aim for around five minutes, keep it light hearted – we will all learn something!
RYLA, or the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, is an intensive, hands-on leadership development program for young adults, sponsored by local Rotary Clubs. The program uses seminars, group activities, and community events to help participants develop leadership, communication, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. Participants are chosen by sponsoring Rotary Clubs or companies and are selected based on their potential for leadership and desire to grow.
Rotary Hutt City has budgeted to sponsor two candidates and we are looking to Club members to suggest possible candidates. Rotabiz members especially would find it an excellent leadership course fo younger staff (18-24 years).
Please contact Andy Soper for further information or to offer your suggested candidates. andy@maudelegal.co.nz
The District has just transformed its website, which has all the information needed to interview, endorse, and sponsor a candidate. The link can be found below:
For more than 10 years, Innovative Young Minds (IYM) has been helping young women discover pathways into STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine) careers through industry engagement, mentoring and real-world experiences. With more than 1,000 participants, exceptional programme outcomes and a growing alumnae network, IYM has proven what works.
Now we're ready for the next phase of growth.
We are seeking a small number of strategic partners or angel supporters who want to help shape New Zealand's future workforce by investing in a proven organisation and expanding opportunities for thousands more young people.
Whether through funding, connections, advocacy or collaboration, your support can help us build stronger talent pipelines, increase diversity in STEMM and create lasting impact across New Zealand.
Be Part of the Growth Story
If you or your organisation are passionate about developing future talent and making a meaningful difference, we'd love to talk.
Join us as a strategic partner or angel supporter and help scale the next generation of STEMM leaders.
ContactGaylene Hughes today to explore these opportunities.
A VERY big thank you for helping to make our fundraising Quiz night and Auction such a success!
We’re thrilled to say that with your support, we raised $11,500 for the work of the Innovative Young Minds Charitable Trust (IYM). The success of the evening would not have been possible without your help, so thank you!
Your generosity in supporting the Rotary Club of Hutt City, IYM and the young women who will benefit from the programmes we are running, is much appreciated.
We are delighted that IYM continues to grow from strength to strength - In our tenth year, we introduced something new - IYM Satellites.
A shorter, focussed opportunity to connect to STEMM careers and industries either regionally or all over New Zealand.
For our first Inaugural Online Satellite we were delighted to partner with Affinity Medical Imaging for a two-hour, Online STEMM experience with a focus on Radiology as a career.
This would not have been possible without your support, so once again, thank you for joining with us to provide life changing experiences for these young women.
Where do the Borg go to eat fast food? Borger King!
Petone Rotary Club - Hustings for forthcoming Election
Gary from Petone Rotary Club writes:
Politicians and pizza nights
3 November – Ginny Andersen; Labour
Please email Gary – media@petonerotary.org.nz with number of guests you invite for numbers for the pizzas.
If you are attending, please arrive between 5.30 - 5.50pm for pizza sharp at 6.00pm, with speakers due to speak at 6.20pm (approx). A $10 koha for pizza would be appreciated.
Forthcoming Fund Raiser Wild Horse Nine Petone Lighthouse 2 November Cancelled
Unfortunately we haven’t had a good enough uptake. We asked about making it a non-fundraiser movie, but this is a preview and the movie doesn’t officially open until 5 November so the theatre cannot show it early.
Refunds will be paid to those who have prepaid.
--------------------------------------
Still here are the details for anyone who still wishes to see!
Wild Horse Nine follows two CIA operatives in 1973 Chile, sent from Santiago to Easter Island on a mission that stirs old secrets, political tension, and moral reckonings under the looming coup. Viewers may be drawn by its sharp dark comedy, rich character work, and acclaimed cast led by John Malkovich in an award-winning turn. Critics praise its wit, chemistry, and layered themes, making it a strong contender for awards and worth seeking out.
Everyone will have received a notice like the one below earlier this week, for our next Breakfast meeting: our grateful thanks to Andy Barker for designing this system for us.
Judging by the results, it does appear that many of you have got to grips with the new system straightaway, helped by Andy's instructions that were included with the first message (and shown again below).
That said, Andy will be on hand next week to answer any outstanding questions you may have.
This is definitely the way to go!
Closing Thought
Presented by Bruce Gough
People who say it cannot be done, should not interrupt those who are doing it.
This quote is anonymous in origin, first appearing as a joke in Puck magazine in December 1902. Over time, it evolved and became a misattribution to Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and an "old Chinese proverb".
Remember to bring some loose change along to the meeting so you can contribute if you answer a Quizlett question incorrectly :), or wish to "Buy The Box".
If you should have any interesting stories about fellow Rotarians then please pass them onto Sue Colville so he can share them at the meeting. Email: sue.colville@gmail.com
Payment is also now available by Eftpos onsite - no excuses!
Last time I asked: There are 50 beesto visit in Bee in The City'sart trail. But how far do you have to walk to visit them all on foot, to the nearest kilometre?
Starting at Wellington Cable Car and finishing at Wellington Airport is around 26 kms.
This week: Billy Graham fought at what weight for his New Zealand titles?
Host Alaina shows this dipole 500kg, which is inside the vacuum chamber and is levitated by powerful magnets top and bottom.
OpenStar
