South Wairarapa Rotary

Kahutara School’s Ambitious Local Wetlands project
Fraser and Margaret Donald have set aside an area of their property and made it available to kahutara School to use for developing a wetland. This initiative will give student the opportunity to watch first hand, as their efforts turn a swampy piece of paddock into a thriving habitat for wetland flora and fauna. Ducks Unlimited NZ, South Wairarapa Rotary and Featherston’s Own Charity are all generously supporting the project. Don Bell provided advice on conservation wetland design and methodology. He and members of South Wairarapa Rotary and Ducks Unlimited oversaw the students’ initial planting of over 700 important trees of various species

For many years now, Hamish McCrae, a teacher at Kahutara school, has encouraged students to help Ducks Unlimited NZ with tree planting at the very successful Wairio wetland development. The 150 Ha wetland project is beginning to attract many of the country’s endangered species and provide them a safe refuge. This initiative, coupled with Whio breeding and bittern studies is making a huge positive impact on endangered waterfowl species.

Taiwanese Friendship Visit
The Wellington rotary Club is hosting 16 visitors from Taiwan for a Rotary Friendship Exchange program. The 16 Taiwanese Rotary Club members are from many different clubs throughout Taiwan. The visitors were invited to meetings at some of the Wairarapa Rotary Clubs.

The South Wairarapa Club held their meeting at the South Wairarapa Workingmens’ club in Greytown. Leader of the Taiwanese group, Michael Tseng, addressed the assembly and gave a very interesting and well-presented talk about Taiwan and Rotary activities there.

Although Taiwan is a small country – a third of the area of New Zealand – but it has a population of 23.5 million people. Taiwan is also a big trading nation and one of the “Four Asian Dragons”. Rotary is very active there with 790 clubs and 35,000 members.

Food Bank Appeal
The South Wairarapa Rotary club was out in force, supporting the Fire Brigades in Greytown, Featherston and Martinborough with trailers and foot soldiers to roam the streets among the cacophony of sirens and horns that announced the team’s progress.

From Martinborough, John Bath said it was probably the best collection in recent times. ‘The local response is undoubtedly helped by the involvement of the local primary school with leaflet delivery the Friday before’ John said.

In Greytown, Pam Messervy reported that there was a good showing of Rotarians and firemen. “The weather was beautiful. The fire engine sounded its siren. honked its horn and out they came – the young, the old, new settlers and longtime locals. A great collection.” A dozen or so Rotarians enjoyed a meal at the White Swan afterwards.

Tamara Allerhand, commenting on the Featherston efforts said “We had a good turn out and much better weather than last year. People were as always very generous and the floor of the store room at Turret House was filled to overflowing “. Most of the Featherston collectors gathered at Brac and Bow for a very pleasant meal afterwards.