POHOS chairpersons report 2016
Polish Heritage Trust of Otago and Southland
Chairperson’s Report
1 April 2017 to 31 March 2016
On behalf of the Board, I am pleased to present my Annual Report on the activities of the Trust which took place during the last 12 months. These activities benefited the local and wider New Zealand communities in many ways, while we were working steadily, towards focusing on our Trust’s objectives, specifically:
- Enriching New Zealand society by promoting cultural and spiritual awareness of Polish heritage in New Zealand
- Supporting the maintenance of historical properties of Polish heritage in New Zealand
- Co-operation with other historical trusts and organizations
- Supporting and encouraging cultural, educational and economic links and exchanges between Poland and New Zealand
This year the following events took place:
This year the following events took place:
April 2015
Poland’s economic system, history and culture talk was held at Columba
College in Dunedin
! May 2015
We observed Polish National Day with Polish and EU flags flying from the
Civic Centre at Octagon and Toitu Otago Settlers Museum
Pahiatua Children event: Czesia’s Panek “Chmielow our Paradise lost” book
launch in Oamaru. This wonderful book was researched and edited by Philipa
Keaney and illustrated by Robyn Belton.
June 2015
Polish film screening at Toitu, Otago Settlers Museum. Members of Polish
and wider Dunedin communities had a chance to see “Ida” the Academy
Award winning Best Foreign Film of 2015
Civic function held on an occasion of presentation of the Gold Cross of Merit
to POHOS Board Member Ewa Rozecka-Pollard at Fletcher Lodge
The Polish Ambassador, Zbigniew Gniatkowski and Honorary Polish Consul
for the South Island Mrs Winsome Dormer were in attendance.
August 2015
POHOS Board Members, Ewa Rozecka-Pollard and Anna McCreath-Munro
were promoting Dunedin UNESCO’s “World City of Literature,” in Krakow,
Poland’s “World City of Literature,” Kiwi contingent presented Janet Frame’s
book from Dunedin City Council and was very well looked after by Justyna
Jochym, UNESCO’s coordinator in Krakow. It was a very interesting literary
and historic visit. We can be very proud of the fact that POHOS was very
actively involved in advocating Dunedin’s bid to become the “World City of
Literature,” a status awarded to the city by UNESCO in 2015.
September 2015
Pahiatua Children event: Czesia’s Panek “Chmielow our Paradise lost” book
launch was held at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum.
November 2015
Conference of Federation of Polish Organizations in New Zealand was held at
Heriot Lane City Apartments and Fletcher Lodge in Dunedin.
Civic function was held on an occasion of presentation of the Gold Cross of
Merit to POHOS Foundation Board Member Czesia Panek, POHOS Board
Member Carolina Meikle, Artist Margaret Ann Howard and Toitu Otago
Settlers Museum Curator Shean Brosnahan at Toitu Otago Settlers Museum
Celebration Dinner held at Forsyth Barr Stadium
The Polish Ambassador, Zbigniew Gniatkowski and Honorary Polish Consul
for the South Island Mrs Winsome Dormer were in attendance.
December 2015
A Christmas Carol service was held at Mary Queen of Peace Church at Broad
Bay on the Otago Peninsula where members of Polish and wider Dunedin
communities sang Christmas carols together in many languages.
Preserving Polish heritage:
Work in progress on the preservation of the old historic
Church, Mary Queen of Peace, built by the first Polish settlers to Otago and
Southland in the XIX century, and maintenance of the rose garden at Broad Bay on
the Otago Peninsula.
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Further co-operation and integration:
We appreciate our participation in the Federation of Polish Organisations in New
Zealand (FPONZ). Establishing a common platform of communication among
representatives of Polish organisations from Christchurch, Wellington, Hamilton,
Auckland and Dunedin is a very important step towards further integration of the
Polish communities in New Zealand
The Trust is a Member of the Otago Settlers Association and co-operates with the
Southern Heritage Trust, Taieri Historical Society and Port Chalmers Historical
Society. We value these links very highly.
We would like to acknowledge the wonderful support we have received from:
- Toitu Otago Settlers Museum
- Broad Bay community and Mercy Parish of the Dunedin Diocese
- Polish Embassy in Wellington and especially from the Polish Ambassador to
New Zealand, Zbigniew Gniatkowski. - Honorary Polish Consul for the South Island and honorary member of
POHOS, - Winsome Dormer of Christchurch.
- New Zealand Embassy in Warsaw, Poland and especially from the New
Zealand Ambassador to Poland, Wendy HintonTheir efforts to strengthen and integrate our southern Poles in Otago and Southland,
are commendable.I would like to thank all members and friends of the Polish Heritage of Otago
and Southland here in New Zealand and in Poland, and especially:
Czesia Panek, Bozena and Alfred Haug, Schep Family, Katarzyna Miscewy,
Dominika and Kuba Kochan, Beata and Grzegorz Peckowski, Margaret Ann Howard,
Robin Belton, Philippa Keaney, Maribeth Mitchell, Steven Holmes, Therese and
Mark Sharma, Peter and Jeannie Hayden, Sam Neil and Ania Kowalewski.
Jennifer Evans, Sean Brosnahan and Kristen Glengarry from Toitu, Otago Settlers
Museum, Ann Barsby from Southern Heritage Trust - Special thanks to: current Polish Ambassador to New Zealand, Zbigniew
Gniatkowski, Honorary Polish Consul for South Island, Winsome Dormer and to the
New Zealand Ambassador to Poland, Wendy Hinton, for their positive
encouragement, and for looking after our small Polish community down south. - On behalf of the Board I would like to acknowledge families of POHOS Board
Members for their unquestionable support and understanding.
Our sincere thanks go to Gemma Dzikiewicz, Chris Gamble, Keith Rozecki-Pollard,
Corran Munro and Graham Bain. - My final vote of thanks goes to the current POHOS Trustees:
Secretary, Anna McCreath Munro; Treasurer, Ewa Rozecka-Pollard and Board
Members: Paul Klemick, Krzysztof Dzikiewicz, Carolina Meikle, Monika
Wrukowska Gamble and Lisa Warrington. - It has been an honor and privilege to be part of the Board dedicated to the Polish
Heritage of Otago and Southland. - I am very proud of the Trust’s considerable achievements and its well deserved
recognition in New Zealand and in Poland. This is the result of hard, dedicated,
conscientious, and what is most important, voluntary work of Members of the Board,
and tremendous local community support and goodwill.
We look forward, with confidence and optimism, to the year 2016. - Thank you,
- Cecylia Klobukowska, M.Com (Economics), Dip Grad (Accounting)
Gold Cross of Merit (Poland)
Chairperson and Founding Member
15th November 2016, Dunedin, New Zealand
Chairperson ..... Ewa Rozecka-Pollard
Phone ......+64 3 477 5552
Secretary ..... Anna McCreath Munro
Phone ..... +64 3 464 0053
Facebook ..... Poles Down South
Contact Poles Down South
Poles in New Zealand We would like to hear from Poles or people with any Polish connection, who visited New Zealand and particularly those of you who paid a visit or lived anywhere in Otago or Southland.
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Polski “Poles Down South” jest stroną internetową organizacji polonijnej w Nowej Zelandii działającej w rejonie Otago i Southland na Wyspie Południowej. Siedzibą organizacji jest Dunedin.