President John welcomed members and guests to our Christmas function and provided "food for thought" with his speech at the end of the evening -
"2023 will go down as the year of the 'Cost of Living Crisis'.
But we need to remember the grass is not greener on the other side. Many many countries around the world are experiencing the same situation.
The UK inflation rate is currently 4.6% (down from 11% in January)
Aussie is 5.4% (down from 8%)
The US is currently 3.2% (down from 7%)
And NZ is 5.6% at the moment. (Down from a 7.8% high)
Mortgage repayments for many are the big struggle with some experiencing hundreds of dollars increase per week as interest rates have risen continuously.
We do however look forward to 2024 being a much more positive year. In Rotary, we have a lot on the schedule for the year including:
The Club's Christmas raffle underway now at Queensgate - thank you for everybody's support with this.
The Te Omanga Hospice Charity Golf Tournament - Friday 23 February 2024
Walk for Mental Health - 10 March 2024
Quiz night - date to be confirmed
Movie night - date to be confirmed
Healthy in the Hutt - 15 June 2024
Projects we can all assist with and join together to help the local organisations.
I wish you all a happy and safe Christmas and holiday season and hope you all get time to spend with family and friends.
Please drive carefully and we'll see you all in the New Year. "