Challenging roar

New Zealand Governor General Dame Silvia Cartwright threw down a challenge on Saturday for Lions clubs to change.
Dame Silvia delivered the challenge to more than 200 Lions Club members at the annual conference of district 202D, held at Marton during the weekend.
In her keynote address Dame Silvia suggested that the majority of Lions club members were people who could be classed as "comfortable".
However, the changing composition of the New Zealand population with increasing numbers of Asians and the Maori population also expanding, there was a need to look outside the traditional membership catchments.
She warned that the future of the organisation could hinge on members willingness to look for new visions, new ways of serving and new ways of developing personal qualities.
While praising the Lions for their ethos of service, she questioned whether the generally narrow range of ethnic groups and cultures represented within the organisation was actually allowing Lions to fully serve their communities. "Without changing the composition of your membership how can you know what the need really is and how you can meet it, " Dame Silvia said.
If Lions clubs were to continue their ethos of service they would need to look at the composition of their communities in terms of differing ethnic and age groups.
"For your long-term viability, your organisation needs to be relevant the changing population, the different groups and their needs and values," she said.
While acknowledging that "change can be scary" Dame Silvia suggested that those organisations that were prepared to make the change would ultimately be revitalised.