Understanding Rotary for growth: Rotary Club of Auckland Korean

Celebrating two decades of service, the Rotary Club of Auckland Korean is a shining example of cultural inclusion, community engagement and purpose-driven growth, achieving the highest membership increase in New Zealand under the Fit for Purpose program.

WORDS: Paul (Dong Hoon) Kang. Rotary Club of Auckland Korean, NZ.

The Rotary Club of Auckland Korean, NZ, is proudly celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025. The club was established to support the Korean community in Auckland, particularly those facing language barriers, and is a successful example of ethnic inclusion and diversity in the Rotary world.

As part of the Fit for Purpose initiative, the club developed a strategic plan with a strong focus on membership growth. However, one of the early challenges was explaining what Rotary is – not only to prospective members, but even to existing ones. To address this, we began by promoting Rotary’s values and activities internally, helping our own members understand the organisation and feel proud to be part of it.

Our community engagement efforts included:

• Volunteering at the 2024 World Choir Games: Our support of the Korean team was recognised when the event organisers donated Rotary branded jackets to all participating club members.
• Hosting First Aid training for the Korean community, which enhanced Rotary’s positive image among local residents.
• Visiting the Healing Garden at North Shore Hospital, a project funded by Rotary, which deepened our members’ appreciation for the broader impact of Rotary clubs.

To strengthen club spirit, we organised a special fine-dining evening for members and their families. During this event, we introduced Rotary’s mission and shared our club’s initiatives. Many partners came away with a better understanding of Rotary and now actively support their family members’ involvement in club activities.

Additionally, five members attended the 2025 Rotary International Convention in Calgary, Canada, and their experiences were shared with the wider club. Inspired by this, around 10 members are now planning to attend the 2026 Convention in Taipei.

To boost recruitment, we encouraged each member to invite a guest to our Rotary Information Night on 12 June 2025. The event drew 20 attendees and led to five new members, with others still considering joining. Following this success, we received positive feedback from several Rotary clubs, especially from clubs in Korea, who expressed interest in learning from our approach. We look forward to sharing our strategies with them.

Thanks to these combined efforts – and inspired by insights from the Fit for Purpose workshops and other clubs – the Rotary Club of Auckland Korean achieved the highest membership growth in New Zealand under the program. Our journey reflects the power of purpose-driven engagement, community involvement and internal unity in building a thriving Rotary club.

For more information, visit facebook.com/koreanrotarynz