A century of community service, preserved in perpetuity for South Taranaki.
Background
The Rotary Club of Hāwera was established on 27 January 1925, becoming the first Rotary club in Taranaki and one of the earliest in New Zealand. For a century, its members have raised funds, rolled up their sleeves, and shown up for their community in countless ways, both large and small. Over the years, the club has supported a wide range of local initiatives, including leading a campaign to install bedside radio facilities at Hāwera Hospital, raising enough to equip two ward blocks, and helping develop pensioner housing on Vogel Street. These projects are just a small reflection of the lasting impact Rotary has had across the Hāwera community.
In 1975, the club’s Fiftieth Jubilee led to the establishment of a Jubilee Trust Fund, which went on to make community grants for decades. Three members, Alan Horner, Tom Morris and Bill Ellingham, each gave fifty years of service to Rotary, a reflection of the commitment at the heart of the club.
Rotary International’s one-word purpose is “service,” captured in its motto: service above self. The Hāwera club embodied that through hundreds of projects over the years, evolving to meet whatever the community needed most.
Transition to Taranaki Foundation
In more recent years, as membership declined and the demands of managing the Trust grew, it became clear a new approach was needed. It was Preston Bulfin at Halliwells, himself a former Hāwera Rotary member, who suggested Taranaki Foundation as a way to protect and hold the Trust’s assets while continuing to honour its original purpose.
In May 2023, remaining trustees Peter Shaw and Malcolm Greenhill signed a memorandum of understanding with Taranaki Foundation, establishing the Hāwera Rotary Fund. The fund retains its identity and original charitable purpose, while governance, compliance, investment and distribution shift to the Foundation.
Malcolm Greenhill first walked into a Rotary meeting in 1972, when membership was in the 70s. He stayed for 41 years. “It was about meeting people who had the same values as us and a desire to do good in the local community. Rotary was a perfect way to give back, raising money for community initiatives and always being ready to extend a helping hand.”
For Malcolm, the transition brought real relief. “I hadn’t heard of Taranaki Foundation before, but after meeting with Phil Hinton and Josh Hickford a few times, it was a real relief that the efforts of so many people over so many years would continue to support our local community.”
Grants in Action
In its first full year under the Foundation, the Hāwera Rotary Fund distributed 14 grants totalling $74,000, reaching organisations including Hāwera Budget Advisory Service, Taranaki Kiwi Trust, Ōpunakē Community Baths, the Rural Medical Immersion Programme and Hāwera Foodbank. These grants formed a substantial part of the nearly $140,000 that flowed back to South Taranaki through Taranaki Foundation’s 2025 Annual Funding Round.
Malcolm and Peter have remained closely involved, reviewing applications and visiting recipients to see the difference these grants make firsthand.
“It is rewarding to be involved in the annual distribution process and to see first-hand the impact these grants are making across our community. There is real comfort in knowing this support will continue for generations. Taranaki Foundation, to us, is a safe pair of hands.” – Malcolm Greenhill.
“It is an honour to be seen as a safe pair of hands for a fund like this. The Hāwera Rotary Club has given so much to this community over so many years, and we take that responsibility seriously. We are proud to help carry that legacy forward.” – Phil Hinton, Chair, Taranaki Foundation
Looking Ahead
The Hāwera Rotary Club spent decades raising money, showing up and investing in the place they call home. Through the Hāwera Rotary Fund, held in perpetuity with Taranaki Foundation, that generosity does not end. It compounds. South Taranaki will feel it for generations to come.
To read about the giving in the first year of the Hāwera Rotary Fund and the community organisations it reached, click here. (will link to story when approved).
Image at top of page: Malcolm Greenhill, Hazel Robinson, Barbara Hurcomb, Theresa Cayley, Suki Bishop, Peter Shaw at the Hāwera Foodbank.