Welcome to Rotary Club of Stortford Lodge (Hastings)
We invite you to find out about us.
Stortford Lodge is an easy-going club. Our members enjoy a balance of service, socialising and fellowship.
Our first meeting was held in 1966. That’s 60 years ago.
Since its inception the Club has raised in excess of $1 million for local, national and international projects and charities and has spent many thousands of hours making a difference to our local, national and international communities.
Interested to get involved?
We meet at the Havelock North Function Centre
30 Te Mata Rd, Havelock North 4130
Would you like to join us?
Visit us
Have dinner with us
Meet interesting Speakers
Think about becoming a member
Email us in advance before the meeting on Tuesdays
Rotary International's Theme for 2025/26 
This message encourages Rotary members to work together to create positive change in their communities and around the world. The theme emphasizes the power of unity and collaboration in achieving Rotary's goals of service and impact.
Coming up
2026-2027 Changeover
Every year we change our board and committees to give everyone a chance to add their vision of what it would be like to move Rotary Stortford Lodge to the future. We invite our friends and familiy members to honour the work of the previous year's movers and shakers, joining for a fun seargant session and enjoying a great meal. Fellowship - Support - Leadership - Service - that's what it is all about.
1st August 2026 - QUIZ NIGHT Lindisfarne College
It's time for a new Quiz Night which we enjoy for many years in the past.This is a great opportunity to join us not only for a fun night but also take part in supporting deserving charities.
$35 for each participant ($280 for a table of eight), raffle tickets $10 and answers to questions $2.
We are looking for participants to buy tickets and donate goods. This can be anything that you might like to receive yourself? Let us know. For further information contact Ken
Latest News
Our speaker Brydon Nisbet: Horticulture Missionary in Uganda
Brydon is a well known orchardist and horticulturist in Hawkes Bay and serves as Deputy Chair of a national organisation as well as chair of a HB growers organisation. He has travelled to Uganda a number of times on behalf of his local church as a “horticultural missionary”. His first visit was in 2004 and his latest was in 2025. His role is to educate and offer micro funding to farmers in several villages who depend on him and several colleagues for advice and assistance. The soil is very rich and they need to use it to their best advantage. Brydon showed us a series of photos of village life including how much the villagers show their appreciation of what he does. A very interesting presentation which reminded many of us who have travelled to Africa of the friendliness of the villagers and of the trials and tribulations they have to overcome.
Environment - Our area of Focus
Tree planting as part of our Club’s collaboration with Karamu Catchment Collective. We planted 150 trees at Jim and Rachel Lyon’s property in Maraekakaho.
UNITE FOR GOOD - Rotary Ociania Summit - 20-22 March 2026
Well, the conference last weekend was an inspiritation 'magnifique'.
Anand Satyanand, Lawyer and former Governor-General of New Zealand, spoke about his vision of how Rotary's future could unfold.
Ian Risely, from Australia, and Rotary International provided insights to 'Unite for Good'.
Sam Johnson, Studend Volunteer Army - do you remember him from the Christchurch earthquake and his gathering of volunteers? He still does it and the commitment of volunteers is unwavering. He launched his latest project Paererewa - the 1000 year bench project.
Lifting the Lid - Supporting young people through Suicide was presented by David Shackleton and Wendy Mildon.
Aaron Fleming - an inspiring young man and athlete who overcame all sorts of physical obstacles in his life to do international marothons. We had to give him a standing ovation.He wrote a book: Purpose - about his journey - available in book shops.
Ritesh Patel provided us with an insight how AI can enrich our lives with the right protocoll.
Rotary is also moving into a closer knit of districts and strategies in the near future. Jennifer Scott is on the frontline to implement these changes.
Our Exchange Students, coming from various regions, told us about their host families and how NZ customs influence their lives.
And of course the connections, networks, Art Deco Gala dinner with the Great Gatsby Theme and much more.
The next Conference will be in Taiwan - anyone going?
Welcome to Kelly Ives
Kelly has joined our club after being invited by Wendy to attend the membership meeting late last year when we highlighted Lifting the Lid on Youth Suicide. Kelly works for Woodford House, connecting us with young people and projects. She has joined the Youth and International Committee.
Rotary in Action in Twyford, Hastings
An outdoor session of Brian McLay’s education programme for us all on Twyford’s natural water supply. Brian took our group of 20 members to a number of natural springs and gave us their history (e.g. the water bubbling up is over 100,000 years old, is oxygen free and is absolutely pure). He explained how they work and how the water usage is virtually self regulated by users and how complicated it can be.
After over an hour of field visits to orchards and drains we returned to Twyford Hall for a bit more education and a BBQ meal prepared for us by community members with funds going to the Twyford Hall. A meeting with a difference.
Rotary in Action!
Members of our club were busy unloading trees generously donated by PF Olsen 🌳 — ready for upcoming planting projects in partnership with the Karamu Catchment Collective (KKC).
Through this partnership, we’re supporting the restoration of waterways and wetlands across the region, helping return the Karamu to its natural beauty. 🌱
It’s all part of Rotary’s ongoing commitment to environmental enhancement and a great way for our members to connect with the wider community while making a real difference. 💧💚
A big thank you to PF Olsen for their generous support and also to BioRich Awatoto for their generous support.
Delivery of six 90L Remington Power Red Line dehumidifiers to Wairoa District Council on behalf of the Wairoa community
These dehumidifiers were made possible through a special Disaster Relief Fund from The Rotary Foundation and will play an important role in supporting community recovery and resilience during and after severe weather events.
Ken Haines, Gerard Bryant, Stuart Knauf (Stortford Lodge Rotary)
Susan Rodney, Deidre Jones (Wairoa Rotary),
Benita Tahuri (Wairoa Emergency Management Officer),
Matt Lawson (CEO, Wairoa District Council),
Craig Little (Mayor of Wairoa),
and Juanita Savage (Chief of Operations, Wairoa District Council).
A huge thank you to our Rotary whanau for their generosity and support 🙏
Your kindness and partnership make a real difference for our district. Nga mihi nui 💙
Ongoing Projects
Pekapeka Wetland Repair
Cyclone Gabrielle has left this beautiful Wetland in total disarray. EIT students, Rotary and HDC are working together to repair the damage. This will take a long time but we are committed to make it happen. The Cycle Trail Magazine thanked us for the maintenance of the trail. Over the last few weeks mowing, weeding and spraying has been undertaken by our members and the trail looks nice.
Just recently some substantial damage has been discovered and we have taken this to HDC to provide a solution for repairs.
Firewood Working Bee
The firewood is for sale to anyone for a reasonable price. Contact us for enquiries
Waimarama Trail
Peter and Stuart are clearing blackberry on the Waimarama Road section of the trail that we adopted. The blackberry was starting to encroach on the trail and HB Regional Council asked us to clear it.
Social Bike Rides
A part of our Club's weekly activities is a social bike ride around the fantastic Hawke's Bay Cycle Trails, which were originally funded by Rotary Clubs in Hawke's Bay in partnership with Napier City Council and Hawke's Bay Regional Council.
Our Club holds weekly rides on Wednesday mornings which are open to anyone. We ride different trails to a suitable coffee stop and then back to our starting point.
Thanks to Hawke's Bay Regional Council for helping maintain these beautiful trails for us all to enjoy.