Weekend Results

Hutt Open Swiss Pairs 

Congratulations to Graeme Norman and his partner on their 4th place finish in this event on 17th May.

Paraparaumu Intermediate Pairs

Well done to Rae Lutman and Murray Lobb, who finished 6th overall and were 1st E/W in the afternoon session.

Online Winter Bridge

 

2026 Charity Tournament

This year's Waikanae/Parapararumu Charity tournament will take place on Sunday 28th June.

This year's charity is Kaibosh.

Detailed information can be found below (also available on the noticeboard):

Wellington Region Club Championships

The team for this event will be selected by BAG.  If you would like to be considered for selection, please email Graham Cheater.

Interesting Article

The following article from the Scottish Herald (re-published on Facebook) may be of interest:

Wellington Bridge Club - "Lets Talk About It" Sessions

From the Wellington Bridge Club

Our winter Saturday afternoon Lets Talk About It Sessions  are aimed at giving “Improver” players (about a year out of the lessons)  an opportunity to learn from a more experienced player at the table.  

Players from all over the region turn up to these sessions, and what they love most about them is the conversation about how to avoid basic mistakes, and how they can improve their game.  

These sessions will start  again on 6 June after Kings  Birthday, and continue till the middle of August.  The focus topics this year will be on play and defence. We teach the NZ Bridge material, so that our improvers learn a consistent approach to the topic: all the learners use the same simple systems, so they are not distracted by trying to remember too many different conventions or approaches with different partners. 

Where: Wellington Bridge Club, 17 Tinakori Road (parking underneath).
When: Saturdays: 1 pm
Who: aimed at improvers >1 year playing bridge
Cost: $6 to members, $8 to non members (Eftpos only – no cash)

Learning and Development Article

We have recently submitted the following article for inclusion in the next Wellington Region Bridge Newsletter (due out later this month):

I will let you know if/when it is published.

Tip of the Month

Thanks to Maureen Pratchett for this tip (also available on the Club Noticeboard):

  

NZBridge International Coaching Programme

The notice below is for the information of those of our members who might be interested in the programme.

Waikanae Tournament 2026

A very enjoyable and successful Waikanae Tournament was held on Saturday 2nd May.

Play was preceded by a splendid "Pot Luck" lunch, at which we raised a glass to "Absent Friends".  We also welcomed two visitors: our old friend Angela Gattsche (now living in Palmerston North) and Pat Reynolds' sister, Valerie.

Invidious though it may be to single out individuals, special mention must be made of:

• Rae Lutman, who organised and ran the event with her customary efficiency and skill, and
• Graham Cheater, who directed splendidly for the afternoon - with the occasional joke and generous quantities of chocolate handed out as spot prizes.

Thanks are also due to:

• the main sponsor of the event - Hobson Mills Law
• the raffle sponsors:
• Charlie Goodyer (Property Brokers)
• Relish Café
• Waikanae Butchery
• Viv Gray - for organising the decorations
• Maureen Pratchett - for scoring
• Kevin Walker - for organising the "interesting" hands
• Roz King - for managing the catering (assisted by Liz Campbell)
• Everyone who contributed food
• Fiona McDonald-Bates - for organising and running the raffle
• Chris Farrow and Steve Ricketts for running the bar

Special "shout out" and thanks to Pip Waldegrave for her heroic work in the kitchen.

Prizes

For the record -

The raffle winners were:

The third official prize was the 52% prize (because we are 52 years old), won by Shelley Ross and Ann Verboeket. 

The unofficial chocolate prizes were  - 

Highest N/S score:
Sue Crichton and Jane McKegg - bidding and making 6H 

Highest score E/W:
Lori Dianne Fernando and Ryan Crowley, Lorraine Gaffaney and Linda Hair - bidding and making 7NT 

The winners of the Best Novice Pair prize were Ashley Francis and Sandi Mason.

The overall winners of the event were Rae Lutman and Miriam Lewin:

Thank you to all who came and supported the event - I hope you enjoyed the day.

2026 Congress Accommodation - Palmerston North

AirBNB accommodation available in Palmerston North for the National Congress in November:

(advertisement published at the request of Angela Gattsche)

Pink Ribbon Breakfast - Wednesday 20th May

In support of breast cancer research.  Click on the graphic below for further information.

Another Learning Opportunity

May 13th 7.30pm to 9.30pm

What difference does vulnerability, value of tricks and how many tricks make?  LOTS!

Maureen Pratchett will present a session on how bridge contracts are scored.

Knowing how different contracts are scored will help you make better decisions about which contract to be in, whether to double and whether to sacrifice.

She will try to keep the mathematics to a minimum.

All members are welcome, and you do not need to have attended any of Graham’s lessons. There is no charge for this extra lesson!

(Thanks to Rae Lutman for this item)

Waikanae Tournament - Reminder

 

(Thanks to Rae Lutman for this item)

Club Clothing

T shirts, polos and hoodies

Margaret Gordon is currently taking orders for:

• hoodies (at a cost of $70) 
• polo shirts (at a cost of $45), and 
• T shirts (at a cost of $35)

all bearing the club logo as modelled in the photograph below.

If you would like to purchase one or more of these sought after items, please get in touch with Margaret to place your order.

NZBridge Online Lessons Update - May

NZBridge is once again offering online lessons on card playing techniques.

The lessons are for new players.

You can choose to attend Sunday, or Tuesday, or both for just $8.00.

Declarer Play in No Trump:

Sunday 10 May 4pm - 6pm and Tuesday 12 May 7pm - 9pm

Declarer Play in a Suit Contract:

Sunday 24 May 4pm - 6pm and Tuesday 26 May 7pm - 9pm

Registering is easy:

• Go to nzbridge.helloclub.com
• Put money in your account
• In Calendar, click on the lessons you want to attend

Participants receive a link to RealBridge prior to each lesson, followed by an email after the lesson with the learning material.

"Bridge Unleashed"

You may be interested in this Facebook page, which I discovered recently: "Bridge Unleashed" by Tracey Bauer (an American bridge enthusiast and online journalist)

Here's a sample video:

 

There's also a website, which is available here.

"In Brief"

Digital Seniors

For further information, contact Sally Weatherley

Housekeeping

If you are the last person to leave the club after a playing session, please ensure that all kitchen equipment, heating and lighting has been switched off, all windows have been closed and the doors have been locked.

Your assistance will be greatly appreciated in our ongoing efforts to reduce our power bill!

Life Master Award

Many congratulations to Pryor Rowland on attaining the rank of Life Master.

Artwork

The artwork currently on display in the club room is by Mariliza Larkins, whose contact details are shown below:

She would be delighted to hear from you if you're interested in either buying one of the canvases on display or commissioning a painting from her.

Dealers

Today's dealing team hard at work
(Photo: Rae Lutman)

A big thank you to all the dealing teams: your efforts are very much appreciated.

Waikanae/Paraparaumu Interclub

Shield updated (thanks to Chris Farrow).

Annual Plan 2026

At its 13th April meeting, the Committee approved the 2026 Annual Plan (available on the Club website here):

The purpose of this plan is to provide a framework to guide the Committee, and to inform the Club's members. It is important to note that it does not constrain the Committee from making whatever decisions it needs to take in the best interests of the club.

Progress against the Plan will be monitored by the Committee on a quarterly basis.

Complaints Policy

The Committee has approved a new Complaints Policy: 

The policy is also available on the Club website here.

Waikanae Tournament

The Annual "Waikanae Tournament" is scheduled for the afternoon of Saturday 2nd May.  Sign on sheets are now available on the top table in the clubroom.

Details are as follows:

Improvers' Lessons

Graham Cheater has kindly offered a series of 3 Improvers' lessons for 2026.  Please see the poster below for details.

Please note that these lessons are suitable for Juniors who have played for a few years and Intermediates.

Regional Championship

Congratulations once again to Derek Snelling, Vicki Boffa and Rachel Patrick on their selection for the Wellington team for the forthcoming Regional Championship.

The inter-regional matches will take place online over the period 1-3 May 2026. 

You can keep up with results and updates on the Wellington Region Bridge website.

Dealing

We need a  volunteer to help deal cards. You would need to be available on Saturday afternoons (1pm) once every 5 - 6 weeks. Dealing takes around 1½ hours. 

If you can help please contact Eileen Queree on 021 293 3920.

STOP PRESS - a volunteer has come forward (thanks Annabel) - but if there are any more takers, Eileen would love to hear from you!.

Latest Rankings

Congratulations to John Donbavand, ranked 3rd nationally in the Life Master category as at 31st March, and also to Graeme Norman who is in 105th place in the all-time Masterpoint Earners list.

Waikanae/Paraparaumu Interclub

The annual Interclub match against Paraparaumu was contested on Saturday 28th March.

The event was relocated to Waikanae due to some outstanding building compliance issues for Paraparaumu following their recently-completed renovations. 

After a slightly shaky start due to confusion about the start time, and the absence of one Paraparaumu player (Editor’s Note: this necessitated an emergency call to the previously-arranged Waikanae reserve John Donbavand, who - despite some consternation among the Waikanae team - kindly agreed to play for the opposition!), the day quickly developed into a relaxed and enjoyable occasion.

The competition was won by Waikanae with 710.44 to 689.56 total percentage points, an average score difference of 1.5%.  

We therefore retained the shield.

The individual winners were:

1st - Graham Cheater and Jeanne Wardill
2nd - Murray Lobb and Rae Lutman
3rd - Liesbet Gavey and Phil Gavey (a great effort from a Junior pair)
4th - Vicki Boffa and Rachel Patrick

Many thanks to:

• Trevor Smith - dealing
• Basia Arnold - directing
• Jane McArthur - scoring (with assistance from Maureen Pratchett)
• Roz King (and team) - catering

Special thanks to Paraparaumu for providing refreshments after play, and to all team members from both sides who kindly provided an incredible quantity of food for the afternoon.

We look forward to the return fixture at Paraparaumu next year.

Almoner

 

Our Almoner is Sue Crichton.

Historically an almoner was a person responsible for distributing alms to the poor, usually connected with a religious house or other institution.

Nowadays the almoner is the person members can go to when they know of a health or other issue another member has so the club can rally around and provide support.

Please contact Sue for bereavements and other similar events that should be acknowledged by the Club.

You can email Sue here.

NZBridge - Conduct and Etiquette

Please take a look at these posters from NZBridge - they provide an excellent summary of the behaviours the Committee seeks to maintain at our club in support of our Mission Statement:

Karori Bridge Club Mixed Pairs - Easter Monday

Karori Bridge Club is looking for players for their Wellington Regional Mixed Pairs tournament on Easter Monday. This event has been popular with Waikanae members in past years.

If you would like to play in this event, please see below for further information.

Easter Weekend Traffic Issues

Conflicting information on this - it now appears the work may have been postponed: watch this space!

NZBridge On-Line Lessons

The NZBridge Teaching and Learning Committee has organised online lessons via the RealBridge website.

April lessons are suitable for those who have played a few years, May lessons are suitable for new learners.

Cost: $8 per lesson.

Register and pay on nzbridge.helloclub.com/register and you will receive the RealBridge link prior to the Sunday session.

Lessons are 4-6pm Sundays, repeated 7-9pm the following Tuesdays.  Log on at least 15 minutes early, check your camera and microphone, as you will be playing the practice hands.

Please see the poster on the left for additional information.

St Patrick's Day

 A big thank you to Vicky Young for once again organising our annual St Patrick's Day event on Monday 16th March, complete with afternoon tea, spot prizes - and some pretty terrible jokes!

For the second year in a row Judi Vernau and Steve Ricketts won the "best dressed" prizes, with an honourable mention to Alice Henke.

Well done and thanks to all who supported the event.

Kapiti Horowhenua Area Pairs 2026

For information about this year's KHAP competition please go the Levin Bridge Club website here.

KHAP Results

Round 1

Round 2

Financial Services Seminar for Seniors

James Buchanan (a friend of Angela Gattsche) is working with Mike Pero Mortgages to increase awareness of financial services available for seniors in the Kapiti Coast.

He is organising a free "Financial Services for Seniors" seminar for 19th March at Nga Manu.  

Topics to be covered include succession and estate planning, retirement lending for over 60s, investment services for seniors, and real estate services for seniors.  Speakers will come from Heartland Bank, Booster Funds, Harcourts Real Estate, and Kapiti Law.

Rubber Bridge 2026

For additional information please see the (recently re-designed) Wellington Region Bridge website here, or contact John Donbavand.

Entries close on 31st March.

Wellington Region Bridge - Newsletter

This is the February edition of the Wellington Region Bridge Newsletter. A short item contributed by Waikanae appears on page 5:

AGM

The 52nd Annual General Meeting took place at the clubrooms on Monday 23rd February.

The meeting was well attended and commendably brief.

The following business was conducted:

• the Minutes of the 51st AGM held on 26th February 2025 were accepted
• the President's Report was accepted
• the Treasurer's Report was accepted
• a motion to increase subscriptions by $5.00 for the financial year beginning 1 January 2027 was passed
• John McCormick was re-appointed as the Club's Financial Reviewer for the financial year ending 31 December 2026
• Hugh Wolfensohn was appointed as the Club's Honorary Solicitor for 2026

The following officers and Committee were elected for 2026:

• President - Hugh Wolfensohn 
• Secretary - Rae Lutman
• Treasurer - Margaret Gordon
• Committee (in alphabetical order):
• Jo Anson
• Nicky Bradley
• Graham Cheater
• Murray Lobb
• Fiona McDonald-Bates
• Derek Snelling
• Judi Vernau

Hugh acknowledged with appreciation the contributions to the Committee of Helen Walker and Chris Farrow (both of whom were stepping down), and made a presentation to Chris on behalf of the Committee to mark his departure from the Committee after many years' service.

Finally, and with great pleasure, Hugh moved that Vicky Young be awarded Life Membership of the Club - motion carried by acclamation.  Congratulations Vicky!

Treasurer's Annual Report 2025

Margaret Gordon's Treasurer's Report for the 2026 Annual General Meeting: