Mr Kenny, who is Scots-born and lives in Grangemouth, a town near the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, made his first visit to the Edinburgh of the South yesterday.
During a brief but busy visit, he met Dunedin Mayor Peter Chin, then made a sightseeing walk around the central city area, including First Church, and was guest speaker at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Dunedin.
The club hosted his city visit.
Mr Kenny is the first Rotarian from Scotland to become president of Rotary International.
He was enjoying Dunedin and was particularly impressed by several of its historic buildings, including the University of Otago's "excellent" clocktower complex, and the railway station, he said in an interview.
An ability to adapt to changing times had contributed to the success of Rotary, with many women now members, and more than 32,000 of the service clubs worldwide, he said.
The founding of the first Rotary club by United States lawyer Paul Harris in Chicago in 1905 had partly reflected his own need for friendship after having moved to that city, Mr Kenny said.
Rotary clubs had a strong humanitarian focus, with New Zealand clubs directing much of their efforts toward Pacific Island nations.
"Rotary was needed in 1905 and it's still needed in 2008," he said.
Mr Kenny will take up the presidency in July.
