30th Anniversary Lunch 2025
All five speakers at our 30th Anniversary Lunch on 17 November 2025 emphasised the values of U3A: lifelong learning, mutual support and participation.
The speakers were our current president, the president of Takapuna U3A, the Auckland Network president and two foundation members of HC U3A.Takapuna sponsored us in 1995 when HC U3A was formed. Takapuna U3A started in 1991 and is a big enterprise now with 360 members and 35 groups. As our president said, we too have stepped up our membership to over 250 and are now as big as we were 10 years ago. Both Takapuna and HC U3As dipped a bit in membership during the Covid years but are bouncing back now.
We are proud of our 25 groups even though we suffer from a common U3A problem which is finding affordable venues.
David Thompson, the Network President, stated that both the national and Auckland U3As are experiencing growth, with thousands of members now represented on the new Network website. Additionally, a new branch has been established in Titirangi, which is already bursting at the seams.
It's heartwarming to hear that the 84 NZ U3As are part of an international organisation. We think we serve the retired community well, but we need PR and Auckland Network are making a marketing subgroup to let people know what U3A is.
Maureen Christensen, a 1995 founding member who now lives on the North Shore and Graham Lamont still a local member, interviewed each other about what HC U3A was like in 1995 and in 1996 when Graham joined. They agreed that most people who lived in a much quieter coast in the 90s were moving from somewhere else and U3A was a good place to meet people and make friends.
Groups were held in people's homes which made for a more friendly and participatory model of managing a group. Unfortunately, U3A folk are older now, have downsized and we now hiring church halls, the library and community centres.
Interestingly Maureen was part of a council group involved in the design of the Whangaparaoa Library and advocated for the meeting room we have called our home for many years, the Pohutukawa Room. We feel bereft that we have had to reduce our bookings significantly as the library's own groups take precedence.
It was a golden age for them said Maureen because National Super was available at 60 and people could afford to retire earlier than now. However, groups like Toastmasters were segregated back then so U3A gave couples a chance to join the same enterprise.
Finally, all speakers agreed that learning from one another distinguishes us from other organisations. Long may it last.