Boaters Toastmasters

A full house and plenty to celebrate this morning!

Our Club President, Lucie, presented Ben, Karis, and Jillian with their name badges as they officially joined the Boaters whānau. Judging by the smiles, they're already settling right in. 😁

Did you sign up to Toastmasters expecting that one day you'd be moderating a panel discussion?

Last week, long-standing member Louise completed a Level 5 project from the Motivational Strategies Pathway by moderating a panel discussion titled Different Spaces, Places and Faces.

The discussion explored the speaking opportunities our members encounter through their professional careers, highlighting the many ways communication skills can be applied beyond the Toastmasters meeting room.

Ka pai, Louise, on delivering an engaging and thought-provoking discussion! And to everyone in attendance, taking notes and asking great questions. We're already looking forward to the next one.

🍞🏆Congratulations to Cyrus on receiving this week's Toastie Award, presented by, last week's recipient, Ben.

As Grammarian, Cyrus introduced the word Authentic and shared how it connected to our theme, Finding Your Voice, delivering a thoughtful and engaging mini-speech along the way.

Our weekly Toastie Award celebrates a person, a moment that stands out, and Cyrus's contribution certainly did just that.

Ka pai tō mahi! Great work to both Cyrus and Ben —we're glad to have you in the Boaters waka.

Despite the chilly theme, “Winter is Coming”, there was nothing cold about the energy in the room at Boaters this morning! ❄️🔥

Our Word of the Day, Grit, was woven throughout the meeting as members embraced a spirited 20-minute Table Topics session and challenged themselves to think on their feet.

We also heard from Tsarina, and Jessica. Both delivering revised speeches, thoughtfully incorporating previous feedback while making great use of the room technology with imagery to enhance their presentations. Topics explored :
✨ Will more money make us happy?
✨ What makes a high five so impactful?

A fun morning of laughter, learning, and encouragement. Proof that even in winter, our members continue to bring the heat. 👏

This past Friday we celebrated Kent’s Icebreaker speech, “Who Am I”! 👏

The power of the Icebreaker was on full display as Kent overcame his nerves, shared a meaningful message, and connected with the audience in a genuine way. His effort and courage earned him this week’s Toastie Award! 🏆

Well done, Kent, we’re looking forward to seeing your Toastmasters journey continue!

Kicking off May with purpose and celebration! 🎇🪩

Our Annual Business Meeting brought us together to reflect on the year that’s been, hear from our committee, and look ahead as we nominate the next team to lead our club forward. It’s a special kind of meeting that blends planning with recognition and appreciation.

A huge congratulations to our award winners:

🏆 Kent Bregente – Grammar Gladiator (for “Magnanimous”)
🏆 Dan Vann – No Notes, No Fear + Future TED Talker
🏆 Roydon Gibbs – Mastermind Evaluator
🏆 Rachel McConnachie – Storyteller Supreme
🏆 Erika Andrews – Silver Tongue Award + Toastmaster of the Year
🏆 Tsarina Dellow – Mic Drop Award (for her Sir Mason Durie full te reo Māori speech 👏)
🏆 Malvin Adicahya – Most Improved Speaker
🏆 Helen McLeod – The Mighty Quill (Best Blog)
🏆 Richard Smart – Bringing the Vibes Award
🌟 Mentor of the Year – Louise Landess

These moments of recognition are just one part of what makes our club strong; it’s the shared effort, encouragement, and willingness to step up that truly set this community apart.

Drop a 👏 in the comments to celebrate our winners, or shout out a moment from the meeting that stood out to you!

As we close out the month, we’re looking back on one of our recent meetings captured in our member blog by Kent.

From the speeches to the atmosphere in the room, it’s a great snapshot of what Boaters Toastmasters is all about.

👉 Have a read on our website or at the below link, in the comments.

Please join us in welcoming Jeremy and Christian to Boaters Toastmasters! 🎉

Pictured here receiving their name badges, they’re officially part of the club and we’re excited to be part of their Toastmasters journey as they grow in confidence, communication, and leadership.

We’re looking forward to seeing you both get involved and make the most of everything our club has to offer 👏

Big thanks to Access Advisors for hosting us at their Digital Accessibility workshop at the Air Force Museum of New Zealand today. Lots of lessons learned to make Toastmasters information more accessible to all 🔥