Welcome to Hibiscus Coast U3A
Join us for fun, learning and friendship
Join us at our next general meeting!
10 am St Johns Catholic Church Hall, 189 Cnetreway Road, Orewa.
Main speaker Bernadette Stockman. Two club speakers yet to be confirmed plus morning tea.
All welcome to come along and see what U3A is all about.
Bernadette Stockman
Mercy Ships is an international charity that brings hope and healing to the world's forgotten poor through state-of-the-art hospital ships. Since 1978, our volunteer crew—made up of medical professionals and skilled workers from over 60 nations—has delivered free surgeries and medical care to over 2.8 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, transforming lives one patient and one port at a time.
Bernadette, formerly the principal of St Mary's College, is the academic co-lead of Mercy Ships NZ.
Auckland U3A Network Annual Event
This is on 25 July in Mt Wellington and includes two very good main speakers and four shorter presentations by U3A members. Lunch is provided and the event lasts from 9.30 am to 2.30 pm. A group of local U3A members attend every year.
Morning Speaker: Dame Wendy Pye
Dame Wendy Pye is the CEO of Wendy Pye Publishing, a premier educational publisher specializing in early literacy. Her flagship brand, Sunshine Books, has sold over 300 million copies worldwide. The company boasts a catalog of over 2,000 titles supported by extensive digital resources, including online programs with 900 e-books and pre-loaded tablets for the Asian market.
The company has maintained a dominant global presence, achieving leading market shares in the USA, UK, and Canada. Notably, it has expanded into China through strategic partnerships with major firms like NetEase.
Dame Wendy is a highly decorated figure in business and education. Her accolades include:
Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and an MBE for services to literacy.
Induction into the Business Hall of Fame (the first living woman so honored).
Recognition by Forbes Asia as one of the region's most powerful women in business.
An Honorary Doctorate in Education from Massey University.
Driven by a passion for global literacy, Dame Wendy continues to develop print and digital resources for children and English Language Learners, ensuring effective educational tools are accessible in both English and native languages.
Afternoon Speaker: Shamubeel Eaqub
Shamubeel Eaqub makes economics easy and fun. Shamubeel is the Chief Economist at Simplicity. He is also an author, media commentator and a thought leading public speaker.
He graduated with Honours in Economics from Lincoln University and is also a CFA Charterholder.
He has 25 years of experience as an economist in Wellington, Melbourne and Auckland inleading financial institutions and consultancy (ANZ Bank, Goldman Sachs JBWere, NZIER, Sense Partners and Simplicity).
He balances a portfolio of economics, consulting, public speaking, governance and family duties. He lives in Auckland with his wife and two sons.
Title of presentation: A Society Worth Having
Synopsis: New Zealand is more prosperous than ever, yet many families feel left behind, communities are fraying, and trust in our institutions is eroding. This talk explores why economic growth and social equity have drifted apart, what that costs all of us, and why investing in younger generations and shared opportunity is the right and smart thing to do.
You can register here. The cost for the event including lunch is $50.
Our bi-monthly general meetings
Members are invited every second month to our General Meeting which will be held in St Johns Catholic Chuch Hall in Orewa in 2026.. At these meetings we have had guest speakers including academics from Auckland University and others who spoke on the topics ranging from Auckland's long term infrastructure needs, the Penan people of Borneo, agriculture in Ukraine and Dacre Cottage at Karepiro Bay.
Members of the public who would like to join U3A are welcome to come along and see what we are about.
Volunteers/Subscriptions
U3A Hibiscus Coast is entirely run by volunteers. Our Group Convenors and our Management Committee are all volunteers. Many of our meetings are held in the Pohutukawa Room at the Whangaparaoa Library, and in other local venues. Our fees are low: $35 per person per year, or $60 for a couple per year. For this members can join any or all of our 25 groups, some of which meet fortnightly and some monthly. Some of us also meet to watch a recently released movie or go on field trips
Monthly Schedule of Groups
Please note that Cinematique and the Short Film Group meet when there is a film to watch or a film under production. Click the Group Descriptors button above to find information about each group. Also note that times and venues for 2026 are in a state of flux because of library changes. Please check with convenors.
Photo of the month
A captive audience at our 16 March general meeting listening to a talk by heart researcher Julian Paton