Aspiring Rotary

29/07/2026

Hanging out at the Welcome to Wanaka day at the Community Hub. Spreading the word about the good that Rotary does!

20/07/2026

We spent a couple of hours on Matariki preparing a selection of delicious canapés for On Stage Wānaka.

Our menu included:

• Smoked salmon & cucumber blinis
• Beetroot & honey-glazed walnut blinis
• Whipped feta & caramelised onion bruschetta
• Fried halloumi & pesto bruschetta

We love how bright and colourful they turned out.

Almost too pretty to eat… almost. ✨

03/07/2026

We had the privilege of catering for another Rotary Club of Wanaka President’s Changeover Dinner tonight.

It was brilliant to see such a fun theme, with everyone putting so much effort into their costumes!

Our famous roast lamb and roast potatoes were accompanied by a variety of freshly made salads, followed by a gooey chocolate fondant for dessert.

We ended up with a bit of food left over, so we put a post out into the community. It was lovely to have a great group of ski workers come by and help us put the leftovers to good use.

Thank you, Rotary Club of Wānaka, for having us cater your changeover dinner once again. We hope you all had a fantastic evening.

And a huge well done to Clayton for leading our amazing team of volunteers and helping create these stunning meals 👏

03/07/2026

We have a bit of food left over from a dinner we have catered - come down to the Rugby Club back door with a container and we can load you up with roast veggies and salads, come down until 8:30pm so it doesn’t go to waste 🙌

29/06/2026

What a wonderful evening it was and for a great cause - thank you for trusting us to provide the food for this event 😊

Friends of MAC would like to extend a huge thank you to the community that supported their inaugural ceilidh on 6 June.

Alongside partners Wanaka Primary School Parent Teacher Association, Friends of MAC worked hard to provide a 'touch of Scotland' for the whole community. On the night, 350 guests arrived ready to embrace everything Scottish. From tartan hats, ribbons, kilts, tartan dresses to full highland dress, everyone made a great effort to enter into the spirit of the evening.

Welcomed by Euan Tait - local bagpipe superstar - up the red carpet and over the threshold of 'Loch Wānaka Castle', guests were treated to a nip of Scapegrace whisky to set the evening off to a Scottish start followed by a kick start of ceilidh tunes provided by Queenstown Band. 'Hair of the Dog'. Every guest seemed to dance from the minute the ceilidh started.

Aspiring Rotary provided beautiful food throughout the evening, encouraging people to visit the Armstrong Room and enter the raffle and silent auction.

Maura Wilson, local highland dance teacher and her troupe of three energetic dancers, wowed the crowd with a Highland fling and sword dance followed by the piping in of an authentic, steaming haggis.

The community was incredibly generous and over the course of the evening the event raised a spectacular $22,000. This money will be divided equally between the two schools.

Thank you to all who came along to the evening, whether you were a guest, a volunteer or contributed to the raffle, what a cracking night. Don't miss out next year, start your tartan collection now!

22/06/2026

We asked some of our members why they enjoy volunteering with Aspiring Rotary and what being part of this group means to them.

Their answers (shown on the attached image) are a great reminder that volunteering isn’t just about what you give, it’s also about the connections you make, the people you meet, and the feeling of being part the community.

If you are interested in finding out about what Aspiring Rotary is about - then we have a meeting this Thursday evening at 5:30pm.

Email [email protected] to register as a visitor - we would love to see you there ✨

07/06/2026

Last night we had the absolute pleasure of catering for 370 attendees at the WPS x MAC Ceilidh Night!

What a brilliant evening, a massive well done to the organisers for putting together such a fantastic event.

Our team kept the crowd fueled with a massive variety of delicious canapés, gourmet sliders, deep fried dumplings and filling hot and cold ham buns.

A huge thank you to all of our amazing volunteers who took time out of their weekend to help. Your hard work helps raise vital funds for our local community! ✨

13/05/2026

Anyone can join! Our members are a diverse bunch and that’s what makes the club great.

What I love about our club is how welcoming everyone was when I first joined, and every single meeting I have attended.

It’s laid back, no pressure, you give whatever time and resources you can.

Whether that’s a little or a lot.

If you have been wondering how you could give back to our local community- then why not come along to one of our meetings and meet some of the brilliant people that make up Aspiring Rotary.

Our next meeting is on Thursday 28 May at 5:30pm at the Peninsula Bay Clubhouse. Send us an email at [email protected] for more information 😊

- Livia

12/04/2026

We finally worked through the numbers from our Bush, Balls & Breaking Barriers event held at the end of February, and the results are in!

Together, we raised an amazing $7,289.20 for Mental Hunts 👏

It was an incredible night. Our speakers left a lasting impression on everyone, covering vital topics and sparking so much inspiration throughout the event centre.

We couldn’t have done this without our amazing sponsors. A huge thank you for your generosity and support in making this happen. We also want to extend our gratitude to our fantastic speakers, everyone who attended, and our wonderful volunteers who worked together to ensure the evening ran smoothly.

We can’t wait to see the impact Glen and the Mental Hunts team will continue to have on our local community and across New Zealand.

Want to get involved? If you’re interested in volunteering and helping our community, please get in touch at [email protected] for more info on our next meeting.

31/03/2026

We had the privilege of providing catering for the Packard Rally dinner, which also included lunch boxes for their Sunday drive.

Wānaka was the end point of their week-long journey along the West Coast.

Our famous roast lamb was on the menu, alongside lemon roast chicken, served with steamed potatoes and a selection of mouth-watering salads.

Followed by bite sized desserts which included a rich chocolate brownie and even Banoffee Pie!

The roast lamb definitely had the approval of Blue, the Australian Shepherd/Border Collie, who kept a close eye on everything while we worked.

A huge thank you to the Packard Rally for choosing Aspiring Rotary for their event, your support helps us give back to our local community. ✨

If you are interested in being involved in volunteering and helping our community- then get in touch with us at [email protected] for information on when we are next getting together.

Thank you also to our sponsor .