News and Notices

• Vintage Railway’s Fun Trivia and Auction Night - Sunday 18 August at Copthorne Waitangi. Go here for details.

• Link to Rotary International Membership Engagement Awards.

• Link to invitation to District 9910 Governors’ Changeover - 1 July at Milford Primary School.

• Dictionaries for Year 4 Students

• Dictionaries are available for distribution. Check the spreadsheet for details.

• Link to spreadsheet.

• Big Boys Heritage Toys - Fathers’ Day at the Pioneer Village - Sunday 2 September.

• Link to email.

Calendar and Blogs (where there is always something new - check these links every week)

• Link to the Kaikohe Rotary Club Calendar. Go here to check out Guest Speakers for future meetings and details of other club activities.

• Link to Kaikohe Rotary’s Facebook page.

• Link to the District Facebook page.

• Link to the District Calendar.

• Link to the Rotary Service Connections Blog.

• Link to the Rotary Voices Blog.

• Link to Rotary International’s Member News.

• Link to Wasrag (Water and Sanitation Rotarian Action Group) Blog.

Regular Newsletters

• Link to the latest Rotary Weekly.

• Link to the latest Kerikeri Club Bulletin.

• Link to the latest Dargaville Club Bulletin.

• Link to the latest Waipapa Club Bulletin.

• Link to the latest E Mara E Pānui.

23 May Meeting

• This week we were pleased to hear from Mark Anderson, owner of Bridgestone Tyres in Kaikohe and chairperson of the Kaikohe Business Association. Mark told Rotarians that after years of decline, there is now a real buzz in Kaikohe, with only three or four empty shops on the main street. Our town's economic prospects are definitely looking up.

• The Twin Coast Cycle Trail is bringing visitors into our town and opening up business opportunities. A heavy vehicle testing centre has opened in the town, meaning vehicle owners no longer have to go to Kerikeri or Whangarei to get trucks and buses tested and certified.

• The Kaikohe Business Association's top priority in the last 12 months has been pushing the proposed proposed Ngawha Industrial Park, which will encourage commercial development using low cost geothermal power. Mark says the Kaikohe Business Association believes the project could be a real game changer for Kaikohe providing jobs and meaning young people people will no longer have to move away from the area in search of work.

• Mark also spoke on the project to increase the number of cameras in Kaikohe. The aim is to prevent crime in Kaikohe, rather than to catch offenders after crimes has been committed.

• Also, Far North District Council is working with Ngapuhi on a proposal for a civic and cultural centre on the former Kaikohe Hotel site. Again this could be a big boon for Kaikohe if this goes ahead.

• Mark reminded us that Kaikohe does not have a residents association. Therefore, the Kaikohe Business Association is often required to be a de-facto voice for residents. But it would prefer to focus on its core role of being a voice for business and economic development in the mid north.