Rotary Zone 8 Pilot Reorganisation Project.
What is it and why does it matter?
Most of us would agree that the current organisation structure of Rotary in our part of the world leads to duplication of effort and a lack of powerful representation at all levels of government. The Zone 8 Pilot Reorganisation Project aims to find a better way.
The Rotary world is divided into zones. Australia, New Zealand, PNG and the Pacific Island Nations form zone 8. The zone is then divided into districts, in our case currently 9810.
The vision is for the formation of a Regional Council for Zone 8 and the establishment of Rotary Australia and Rotary New Zealand (Oceania). It is hoped that a final structure will bel in place by 1 July 2026.
Alongside the Regional Council there is a proposal for a new role of Community Leader (or other title) which will be very different from the existing District Governor or Area/Assistant Governor in that the role will support 10 to 25 clubs who form a community (geographic or cause/style/other). The leader will be chosen by the clubs for a period of two years as deputy followed by two years as leader, ensuring continuity and in depth knowledge and support. This role will have no administrative or governance roles, it is purely supporting clubs, encouraging collaboration and growth with Regional and Area expertise provided directly to clubs as requested.
Last September, we voted in support of work continuing on this project. At a later date we will be asked to accept or reject the new structure put forward by the working group.
The Rotary International Board has now given its approval for a Regionalisation Pilot for our Zone 8.
Our District leadership team has been watching and monitoring this closely over the past year or so and now that there is a clear mandate from Rotary International to proceed, has decided to appoint a joint Regionalisation District Representative and further to establish a joint D9815 District Regionalisation Committee.
The aim of the Regionalisation Pilot is to develop a new regional governance structure to transform Rotary and Rotaract in Zone 8, helping clubs strengthen and grow with more intensive and specialised support that addresses their unique needs. We anticipate the direct benefits to clubs will include:
- A stronger, unified Rotary image and brand
- Greater opportunities for collaboration and partnerships
- Greater efficiency, reduced duplication and reduced costs
- Greater capacity for clubs to adapt to meet the specific needs, circumstances and cultural aspects of their geographic area
- More direct access to the best resources from across Zone 8 to support clubs to achieve their goals
Over 100 Rotarians and Rotaractors in Zone 8 are currently working in Pilot Establishment Teams (PETs) focused on the following areas:
- Service and Strategy: strategic growth, reach and impact, strategic programs, and the transfer of functions from Districts to the Regional Council
- Corporate and Administration: Regional Council elections, Rotary Specialist Networks, community groups, legal entities, and structures and financials
- Public Image and Partnerships
- Membership
- Communications and IT
- The Rotary Foundation
- Learning and Development and Events
- Pilot Communications
- Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The management team have restructured the Creating Tomorrow Regionalisation Pilot website, adding several new pages under the “What are we doing?” tab at the top of the homepage. There are now web pages dedicated to information on the Regional Council and its structure, community groups and leaders, what the Specialist Network will do, and other key aspects of the pilot. These pages will be updated regularly.