Katina chaired Spinnaker’s 4 November meeting with the theme: Kaitiakitanga – Guardians of the Earth. We welcomed two local guests, and one international “travelling Toastmaster” Peter from The Netherlands.
Grammarian Ash’s word of the day was “audacity” or “audacious” which means bold or daring, and he challenged speakers to use the words in their speeches. Later he reported that most speakers took up the challenge well with Katina managing to use it 8 times. He also thought the best word of the night was “nifty” by Katina, and the power line of the night was from Junior: “I choose to be better!”
Table Topics by Dirk followed the theme with environmentally-related questions for each speaker which evaluator Katina thought were perfect for the theme. Peter was asked about creative use of waste, and he responded with “what’s waste if you can still use it, is it still waste?”
Speaker 1 was Dieter with “Timing the Trifecta”, a speech about the importance of planning for the financial planning trifecta – time, money and health. Evaluator Dale said that Dieter had signposted the speech well with the three topics, used excellent body language with his hands to point and count, and finished with a 3 point action plan. She thought some visual aids would have enhanced the speech and made it much more memorable.
Speaker 2 was Junior with “The power of choice vs the environment”. He opened with “the one thing I will always have is choice” and then he related the story of growing up in Samoa and New Zealand and how he has chosen to live his life with his family differently from the environment he was brought up in. Evaluator Megan said the structure was fantastic, Junior always speaks from the heart, used pauses and short sentences, and opened and closed with two quotes which all made sense. She thanked Junior for being audacious and trusting us with his thoughts, and that she was honoured to listen to his speech. Junior was awarded the Best Speaker of the Night award.
Speaker 3 was Quentin with “Lawnmowers” – opening with “The grass is growing faster than AI” and ended with “Happy mowing”. Quentin relayed how to purchase a second hand lawnmower, comparing electric or petrol, body composition, engines, brands, handle bars, catchers and especially noted what to avoid when looking for a mower. Evaluator Jocelyn confirmed that “Quentin is a man who knows his mowers” and she loved his conversational friendly and humorous style.
If you would like to attend a Spinnaker Toastmasters meeting and enjoy excellent speeches, evaluations and lots of fun and laughter, then contact us on spinnaker@toastmasters.org.nz to let us know.
Our last official meeting for the 2025 year is on Tuesday 18 November, and we restart on the first Tuesday in February 2026.
Spinnaker Toastmasters Club, Plimmerton, Porirua, New Zealand 