Rotary Club of Pukekohe Inc.

26/09/2026

Register now for this iconic road race: https://countiescycleclassic.co.nz/

14/09/2026

A reminder that this coming meeting on the 16th of September we will be hosting Dr Alia Bojilova. Please RSVP to Don as this is a partners evening.

Dr Alia Bojilova is a resilience and peak performance psychologist, former NZ Army psychologist, and trusted advisor to leaders navigating high-pressure environments. With a Doctorate in Psychology and experience across the military, government, elite sport and the commercial sector, she works at the intersection of leadership, resilience and human potential.

14/09/2026

We had the pleasure of welcoming Jan Wallace from Pukekohe Community Action and Paul Brown (PCA Chair) to our meeting on the 9th of September.

For those who know of PCA recognise the hard work and care that goes forth into our community. We have supported PCA and will continue to do so.

"Our mission is to empower and care for our community through practical and emotional support, fostering the development of life skills, well-being and community spirit."

Pictured below is Derek our President with Graham Russell, Jan Wallace and Paul Brown. PCA presented Pukekohe Rotary with a certificate of appreciation. Very thoughtful!

Pukekohe Community Action is always looking for donations and help via volunteering. Please have a look at their website.

https://www.pukekohecommunityaction.co.nz/

29/08/2026

Entries are NOW open for this year's Counties Cycle Classic.
Full details & Register here: https://countiescycleclassic.co.nz/
Early Bird Discount of $15 on each race till the end of September.

02/07/2026

Our club held its Changeover celebration last night with an Italian theme at Seddon 64, marking the successful conclusion of the 2025–26 Rotary year.
Outgoing President Mark Graham reflected on a remarkable year under the theme "Unite for Good", highlighting the many achievements, projects, and positive impact the club has made within our community. His leadership and dedication have helped make it a year to be proud of.
The evening also welcomed incoming President Derek Hopkins, who now takes the reins for the 2026–27 Rotary year under the inspiring theme "Create Lasting Impact."
It was a wonderful evening, and a fun night was enjoyed by all as we looked forward to another year of service, fellowship, and making a meaningful difference in our community under Derek's leadership.

29/06/2026

Our club, along with Franklin Vets and Counties Energy supported 4 attendees this year to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) which is a professionally developed, week long, live-in leadership program aimed at emerging leaders. It brings together a diverse group of young adults from different industries, cultures, and backgrounds for a week of intensive self-discovery and skill-building. Our group started off with a VERY early start on Saturday morning to check in on time!

16/06/2026

Join a friendly club near you!

Volunteers are the backbone of our society. Rotarians keep on giving their time, their skills, their knowledge to help others in our communities around New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Thank you for all you do. Have you thought of joining us? Go to www.rotary.org.

15/06/2026

A recent Key Note Speaker we had the pleasure of hosting was Dr Gareth Jones.

Gareth is a Pukekohe local and good friend to member Veritas Rose.

Dr Gareth Jones, is an Indigenous scholar–practitioner from Aotearoa New Zealand whose work spans intelligence, security, and community wellbeing. He holds a PhD exploring how Māori values shape international partnerships and is currently undertaking a second PhD in artificial intelligence at the Australian National University School of Cybernetics.

Gareth is the CEO of Ngā Pou Mana and is deeply committed to social good, including supporting Rough Sleeping initiatives in New Plymouth, contributing to digital safety work with the New Zealand Human Rights Commission, and addressing issues within the health sector. He also contributes to international efforts to counter online harm and extremism with organisations such as Global Internet Forum Counter Terrorism and Christchurch Call Advisory Network.

Gareth spoke to us about demographic change from 1840 through to the projected future in 2043. One lesser‐known fact he shared: in 1840, the European population in New
Zealand was tiny. Many arrivals from the UK in those early years had lived for generations on leasehold land and had never
owned property. New Zealand offered opportunity. They adapted quickly, learned Te Reo, married locally, and raised mixed
families. There was no “us and them” — just a growing, evolving population. Fulton Hogan is one example of a company
now training its 4,000 staff on a fact‐driven understanding of the Treaty as it was intended and lived.

Gareth is currently working on a book titled Trading Places, a fact‐driven exploration of New Zealand’s evolution from 1840
to today — and beyond.

We learnt that his humility is genuine and his focus is on facts, the truth, analysis and helping people make better decisions.

15/06/2026

Pukekohe Rotary has recently completed a winter clothing project for fifty tamariki in our local area!

Each child received a koha package containing track pants, a sweatshirt, t shirt, socks, underwear and pyjamas. They throughly enjoyed receiving these gifts from Sue, Christine and Veritas on behalf of Pukekohe Rotary.

A big thank you to Sam at The Warehouse for your assistance and to the generosity of our community that made this project possible :)