Rotary Karori Bulletin - 17 April 2019 (Apr 28, 2019)

Attendance

Barton, John

Wine Raffle

Rood, Henk

Bar Clean Up, Glasses

Yiavasis, Luke

Opening Thought

Frazer, Allan

View Point

Watt, David

Setup: Bar, Tables And Chairs #1

Oldham, Richard

Setup: Bar, Tables And Chairs #2

Titcombe, Graeme

Bar Duties

Barkham, Julian

Introduce Speaker

Langford, Doug

Thank Speaker

Johnston, Jim

Ella Thorpe

Ella Thorpe, our RYLA student on this year’s RYLA course in January speaking at our Club on 9 April. She is now in her first year at Canterbury University.

Ella Thorpe was welcomed to our Club meeting with her parents Iain and Kerrie and with support also from Gillian and Christopher Roberston, Port Nicholson Rotary, and fellow Interacters, Molly Carr, and Aidan Homewood. Ella stressed the importance of team work and how everyone on RYLA shared their personal goals. She talked about RYLA teams focussing on contributing to the well –being of communities, of having passion in their work and seeking continuous growth opportunities. She said the RYLA programme had set her on a good pathway to having confidence, of being supportive of others, and being inspired to put your hand up and take opportunities when they arise. She had made some very good friends on the course and that it was certainly a great experience for her as she is now set on her studies at Canterbury University for an Arts Degree. Ella has been a very active member of Interact under the auspices of the Port Nicholson Rotary Club.

A Business Improvement District for Karori

Julie Johnston addressing the business breakfast meeting on 16 April.

This month’s business breakfast was devoted to the promotion of a Business Improvement District (BID) for Karori, with speakers Julie Johnston, Chair of the Steering Group, Ant Simon, formerly from the Marsden Village Pharmacy, now back at his Tawa Amcal Pharmacy where he has been leading the formation of a BID for Tawa, and Barrie Keenan also on the Karori Steering Group and member of the Marsden Village Business Association.

A good attendance of local business leaders in Karori , together with service club members, local and central government politicians and other community leaders heard strong messages on the Karori BID strategic objectives, to develop new business models, innovative projects and collaboration with the community to enhance the development of Karori.

Julie Johnston set the pace for the meeting with the clear pathway for the steering group to build a strong Karori brand through its businesses, following several workshops for business leaders in the suburb. Ant Simon drew on the experiences and challenges faced in Tawa and felt the BID had certainly been a big help for that business community and that Tawa business now certainly has a voice. Barrie Keenan, recovering from recent knee surgery showed his passion for expanding the BID over the whole of Karori, based on the success and support of business groups over recent years in Marsden Village. He said retail business was definitely changing and people understood the opportunities that were there to achieve good results for not only for themselves and the wider community.

Those attending came away with some strong beliefs to bring about change in Karori, to have a closer association between business and community groups to help enhance the growth of Karori. Details of the polling of businesses by Council was put to the meeting – A poll letter would be going out on 22 April; A poll public meeting would be held on 1 May; The poll would close on 13 May and details would go to the Council’s Strategy Committee on 16 May.