The first Rotary Club was organised in Chicago in 1905, by a young lawyer named Paul Harris. He sought to form a Club which would bring together a group representing business and professional people; a Club where members would join together in fellowship to get better acquainted. The fellowship they enjoyed soon developed into actions of service for others. Rotary International has the unique dist
inction of being the first "service organisation" in the World. Paul Harris named the new organisation "Rotary Club" because originally the members met, in rotation, at their various places of business. The multi-cogged wheel of Rotary International embodies this concept. Membership soon became too large for such places and the Club changed to a weekly
luncheon meeting. These weekly meetings, be they at breakfast, luncheon, dinner or supper, are now held by Rotary Clubs all over the world. The second Club was founded in San Francisco in 1908 closely followed by Oakland on the East Bay of San Francisco. By 1910 there were 16 Clubs and the National Association of Rotary Clubs was formed, with Paul Harris as its first President. Rotary Clubs were soon formed outside the USA and, in 1912, the name was changed to the International Association of Rotary Clubs, again with Paul Harris as the first President. This name was shortened in 1922 to Rotary International, normally referred to as RI. The first Rotary Club in New Zealand was the Rotary Club of Wellington, formed on 7 June 1921. Our Club was chartered in 1924, the first in Palmerston North. The twin pillars of Fellowship and Service remain the base for all Rotary Club activities. Today there are more than 32,000 Rotary Clubs with a membership of well over 1.2 million in over 200 countries and geographical regions; a truly international organisation. If you would like to come along to a meeting to have a look, or if you would like to join Rotary, then please contact us using the email or phone number on this page.
