Dunedin Rotary Club president Jackie St John and Rotary
district 9980 governor Trish Boyle at a Dunedin Rotary Club
meeting at the Savoy on Thursday. Photo by Jane Dawber.
The tide is turning in Rotary clubs across the country,
New Zealand's first female district governor says.
Rotary district 9980 governor and Invercargill North Rotary
Club president Trish Boyle said the roles of governors and
club presidents were traditionally occupied by males, and
there were still clubs in New Zealand which did not allow
females to join.
"But the tides are turning. There's certainly a growing
number of women taking leadership roles in Rotary clubs.
"Women have as many opportunities in Rotary as men."
Mrs Boyle said there were six Rotary districts in New Zealand
and three of them were governed by women.
It was the first time in the world that at least half of a
country's Rotary districts had been governed by women, she
said.
And at a local level, three of the six Rotary clubs in
Dunedin also have female presidents.
The shift was due to greater flexibility within clubs, and
Mrs Boyle said Rotary was now about getting the right people
for the leadership roles.
"It's an absolute privilege to have the responsibility of
leading this district.
"I want to do it well and be the best I can be, so that
future women are judged positively by what I do."
Mrs Boyle was in Dunedin this week as part of a tour of all
Rotary clubs in district 9980 which covers the area south of
Temuka.
Her visits were aimed at motivating, encouraging and giving
clubs direction, she said.
- john.lewis@odt.co.nz
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