The speaker at Remuera Rotary last Monday was Max Harris, who is the Labour Party candidate for the Tamaki Electorate in the November elections. He wanted to speak about community values and how society if becoming too individualistic.
Max is a graduate of the Auckland law school, where he also studied history and politics, and was a Rhodes scholar. He did a PhD in Constitutional Law at Oxford. He spent some of his childhood in Indonesia, and had an influential grandmother who was a card-carrying member of the National party. His first job in NZ was as a junior under Dame Sian Elias in the Supreme Court.
Max has had open-heart surgery as a result of a genetic condition which has a life expectancy of 26 years, and this shapes his outlook on life. He now works as a courtroom lawyer and barrister. He is standing for Tamaki based on his values, because he has seen changes in government which has affected vulnerable people causing damage and hurt. For him, the important issues of the day are the cost of living; healthcare and access to GP's; and low growth and productivity in the economy. He outlined Labour's policies on various issues and pointed out that Labour had a serious chance of winning the Tamaki seat due to boundary changes that now include Glen Innes. In 2023, Labour came a distant second to National in the party vote and third in the candidate vote. Max spoke very confidently on the subject and we wish him well in the November elections.
We also had an address by Zion Salakaia, who thanked Remuera Rotary for sponsoring him on the Spirit of NZ, and by Devon Du, for us sponsoring him on the Summer Science School. I emphasised how important these two programmes were for youth in our community. Continuing in the theme of election season, next week our speaker is Greg Flemming, the MP for Maungakiekie.
We have David Seymour scheduled to speak to us on February 15th next year.
President Leigh
Next Meeting - 28th September 2026
Our Speaker on Monday will be Greg Fleming who is the National Party candidate for Maungakiekie.
Vivaldi Musical Showcase
Following on from are preparing for our upcoming Vivaldi Musical Showcase, featuring exceptionally talented young musicians performing a vibrant selection of Vivaldi’s works. This event is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate youth achievement, support musical excellence, and strengthen our Rotary presence in the community.
To ensure the success of this showcase, we kindly ask for your support in promoting the event and assisting with ticket sales. Your invovement—whether by sharing the event with friends and colleagues, distributing posters, or helping sell tickets within your networks—will make a significant difference in reaching a wider audience. Wayne will have flyers available at our meeting on Monday.
Your encouragement and participation will help us to provide the opportunity for these young performers to compete in competitions throughout New Zealand.
Together, we can make this showcase an inspiring and memorable event.
