In Gear | Rotary in Southern New Zealand In Gear - Issue 3 | Page 8

– and some of the best
fun we have is coming
up with novel and
exciting ways to raise
funds and awareness for
worthy charities.”
On chartering, the club
roll stands at 23, and
Susanah says there are
more members in the
wings about to join, all
bound by a drive to make a difference.
Younger members, in particular, don’t value
the conventional dinner meeting and lunch,
so, to attract them, as Rotarians, we need
to loosen expectations to turn up, or change
the format, while respecting the needs of
current members.”
“Most of our members are time poor, but are keen to
use the skills and time we do have to do great things in
the community, so we’re very project-driven.
“Obviously, we’re a little younger than conventional
Rotary clubs, and we’ve also flipped the gender
demographic on its head – we have only five men, but
18 women.”
NRG Dunedin is one of four Next Rotary Generation
groups in District 9980 – Queenstown is a satellite to the
town’s Rotary club, Invercargill chartered last year, and
Timaru is just in the initial stages.
Susanah believes the NRG format is a vital cog in
Rotary’s future, offering the flexibility some people
today – especially those with hectic family and
professional lives – need to be able to participate.
“Younger members, in particular, don’t value the
conventional dinner meeting and lunch, so, to attract
them, as Rotarians, we need to loosen expectations
to turn up, or change the format, while respecting the
needs of current members.”
District governor Janice Hughes speaks at the chartering.
“We’re not that interested in conventional fundraisers;
we’d rather use our specific skills, knowledge and
professional connections to make the best contribution
we possibly can in the time we have,” she says.
While the members were particularly fortunate to have
had plenty of help along the way from the combined
Dunedin clubs, she says NRG’s success and survival will
continue to rely on sometimes marching to a different
beat.
“We’re a lot ‘looser’ than most conventional Rotary
clubs. We meet only twice a month with a lot organised
online, and our meetings are less formal.
One risk of not having set weekly meetings is people
can fall off the grid, but Susanah says the club
communicates a lot online to keep everyone included
and in the loop.
“Working together and trying to accommodate different
Rotarians’ needs and life stages can only benefit us all
– and I’m sure there are many Rotarians with children,
work colleagues and friends who are really keen to be
part of Rotary, but a conventional club might not work
for them. Send them our way!”
Dunedin NRG’s focus, Susannah says, is now firmly on
making the most of their new formal status.
“We’re really excited … excited to now be an official
Rotary club, so we can utilise the scope of Rotary
International’s resources to do great things in our
community and further abroad,” Susanah says.
Page 8 | In Gear - Rotary in southern New Zealand - District 9980 | www.rotarydistrict9980.org