Wainuiomata Toastmasters

12/01/2026

Happy New years fellow toasties! It's been awhile since we have posted - admittedly we have all been enjoying a restful break.

If you have thought about joining us this year to test your skills, grow your abilities then come down to Wainuiomata Toastmasters. We will having our first official meeting of the year soon (dates to be posted)

Toastmasters is an awesome way to grow not only as a speaker but as a leader as well.

See you soon!

Send a message to learn more

10/12/2025

Last meeting of the year, and of course it is Christmas themed!

Some of our members enjoying a Christmas quiz before breaking off to do secret Santa

27/11/2025

Kia ora everyone!
A friendly reminder that we meet every Wednesday at 7pm at the Wainuiomata Community Hub! Please come down and join one of our friendly meetings.

We are a community based club, and we want to help you grow in confidence and courage!

Public speaking doesn't have to be scary!

Bring a friend, bring ten and come and join us for our next meeting.

Send a message to learn more

20/11/2025

Ko te kai a te rangatira, he kōrero, he kōrero! - The food of chiefs is language!

Last night we hosted our International and Evaluation speech contest!

Alistair, Nohokainga and Kelvin blew us away with their thought provoking stories. Making us reflect on our own journeys and what we have learned from them.

Kelvin and Alistair were our two superstar evaluators, who had the fortune of evaluating our guest speaker. Evaluations are not easy, but they both did so with incredible ease.

Our place getters and second place winners will be heading to the area contests to represent our club on February 14th 2026. (Venue to be decided)

International Speech contest
1. Nohokainga Pulekautaha-Lai
2. Kelvin DeGinder

Evaluation Contest
1.Alistair Forsyth
2. Kelvin DeGinder

Please make sure you keep an eye out for communications regarding the Area contest so you can come support our contestants.

Woo hoo! Congratulations to all of our speakers again, and everyone who helped us make this possible!

12/11/2025

Register now for the early bird pricing for the annual conference! Get in quickly to secure the best pricing. The conference is in Timaru in 2026. How exciting! Get in today :-)

DISTRICT 72 ANNUAL CONFERENCE!

Be a winner like Phar Lap, lead the pack and register now for this limited offer Early Bird Special of just $135.00!!!

T&C's apply.

Check out the conference website for more information:
https://www.toastmasters.org.nz/conference

10/11/2025

"Itiiti rearea, teitei kahikatea ka taea – Although the rearea is small it can ascend the lofty heights of the Kahikatea tree"

A few weeks ago our Toastmaster Club hosted our annual Table topics and Humorous speech contest. A night of laughter, and thought provoking fun!

We were even fortunate enough to be graced by the presence of Semi Finalist Fazla who was in attendance in the audience.

Alistair led the contests, and as a first time chair of such contests, he did a fantastic job!

We had stories about chickens, teenagers, climate footprints, airforce 1 planes, mountain climbing and adventures across Europe. What an awesome night it was!

For those who wish to know, our the topic for the Table Topics speech contest was 'If you could climb any mountain, what one would you climb and why?'

Results are posted below: 👇🏼

Table topics contest:
🥇1st place Nohokainga
🥈2nd place Sam
🥉3rd place Toni

Humorous speech contest:
🥇1st place Dallas
🥈2nd place Sam

Nohokainga and Sam with represent Wainuiomata at the Area contest. Dallas and Sam will represent Wainuiomata in the Humorous speech contest.

13/10/2025

Just a quick reminder of our important club details!
Every Wednesday at 7pm - Wainuiomata Community Hub

13/10/2025

Ann is a storyteller! She expertly crafts speeches that keep you hooked! She is descriptive and her voice captures your attention straight away.

Last week Ann shared with us a speech about the Dream Angus - the Celtic (Scottish & Irish) god of dreams.

She deserved the Memorable Moment Award for her storytelling abilities!

If you want to hear more fantastic speeches like this, come and join us at Toastmasters:

Every Wednesday at 7pm - Wainuiomata Community Hub 📍

13/10/2025

Why did you join toastmasters? 🙌🏼🤝🏽
Some of our members join our club to grow in confidence, some want to find their voice, and others want to learn all the skills needed to write and deliver speeches.

At Wainuiomata Toastmasters we welcome all levels and skill sets to our club! Come down and check us out at Wainuiomata Toastmasters Club, every Wednesday at 7pm at the Wainuiomata Community hub!

If you have a moment, stop by and see what we are all about.📍

29/09/2025

Farewell to Diane Stempa

Last week we sadly farewelled our founding sponsor, Diane Stempa, who started Wainuiomata Toastmasters in June 2007. After a recent hip replacement (and a couple of new knees along the way), Diane has decided the time is right to step back from Toastmasters and enjoy her well-earned retirement.

Diane is so much more than the heart of our small club here in Wainuiomata, she has been a dedicated and truly impressive champion for Toastmasters across District 72.

Her journey is remarkable; from once being a shy person who struggled to speak in front of an audience, to sitting at the top table on numerous occasions in various leadership roles.

Her dedication, wisdom, and quiet voice of reason have touched and inspired countless Toastmasters members. It is only fitting that we acknowledge her extraordinary 21 years of service.

While Diane is modest about sharing her Toastmasters journey, here is a brief overview of her achievements.

Diane joined Toastmasters in 2004 and went on to help start up five other clubs. She also served as a Club Coach for two clubs.

Leadership Roles:
• Area Governor/Director – four times
• Division Director

• Club Growth Director
• District Director
• Division Trainer
• District Treasurer/Finance Manager – twice
• Chair of Audit Committee – twice
• Audit Committee Member – four times
Awards:
• Distinguished Toastmaster (the highest Toastmasters award) – eight times
• District Division Director of the Year
• District Toastmaster of the Year – twice
• District Citation for Excellence
• Toastmasters International Retention Award (an international award)
• The Don Harden Award for Professionalism

He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata.
What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.

This whakataukī is a fitting reminder of Diane’s extraordinary contribution and legacy of service, encouragement, and connection that has enriched the lives of so many within Toastmasters and beyond.

Diane, you leave behind not only an incredible record of achievement, but also the aroha, respect, and deep gratitude of all whose lives you have touched. Your presence will be dearly missed, but never forgotten.

22/09/2025

Everyday you 'practice' table topics, conversations and interactions with people at the supermarket, your friends, and your family.

Table topics at a meeting, is a great way to practice thinking quickly on the spot, gathering and filtering your thoughts, and responding quickly and succinctly.

Come and join us on Wednesday at 7pm at the Wainuiomata Community Hub, to learn more about how we can help and support you!

Build confidence on the fly—use work and social moments to test your impromptu skills.

15/09/2025

Check out the Waatea News 100 Māori words every New Zealander should know. What an awesome list to help encourage us all to use Te reo Māori - ps don't forget to join us tomorrow for our open meeting! Wainuiomata Hub at 7pm sharp! :)

100 Māori words every New Zealander should know

https://waateanews.com/2025/09/14/100-maori-words-every-new-zealander-should-know/