June 2025 | Grey Power Rotorua

C Bavister

Secretary

June Ramblings

Well, we are half way through the year and half way through the present government. Good heavens it is June already. The grass didn’t get the message that it is Winter and stop growing, neither did the weeds. The people who know about the weather tell us that winter is going to be wetter than usual so keep the gumboots handy.

Thank you, to the many who attended the Annual General Meeting and those who sent apologies. Looking forward to catching up at the lunch on 28th June. The caterer at our forums, who is also our office manager, has received many complements for the refreshments, especially the Greek Coconut Lemon Cake. She is happy that we publish her recipe for you to make one by yourself. Just scroll to the bottom to find it. This makes me think if we should publish one of your most liked recipe in each Newsletter. Let us know and send us your favourite recipe.

You will have received a couple of emails for our Matariki/Mid-Year Lunch. This will allow more members to participate at our function and other organisations later in the year. Come along and join us; get your ticket now - it's the same price as last year. You can order your ticket(s) via our website or by picking one up at the office (see Contact for details).

We need to apologies for some inaccuracies in our last Newsletter which we corrected as soon as we were aware of it. The shingles vaccination is only free for the 12 months after your 65th birthday. You only need to make a rates appointment between July and October, otherwise just go to the council reception and state why you there. Then they will help you with your claim.

Shrey Vazir

Editor

The 1% Rule - The Power of tiny Gains

Ever feel like you’re doing everything right, but your health just won’t cooperate?
That was me back in 2019.

I had just gotten married. My business was growing. But behind the scenes, my health was quietly falling apart. Within a few months:

I gained 8kg.
My sleep was broken.
My pain flares were getting worse.
And I was constantly overwhelmed—juggling too many responsibilities, trying to hold it all together.

So I tried everything that I could think of. It helped a little—but nothing really moved the needle. Until I came across one quote by Aristotle that changed everything: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

I suddenly saw the pattern: I was chasing quick fixes and dramatic transformations when what I really needed were small, repeatable wins. I didn’t need a breakthrough. I needed a habit I could return to—no matter how I felt that day.

So I picked ONE habit: Strength training. Just one exercise a day. Three sets. Every day a different muscle group. Was it the most efficient routine? Not at all. Was it scientific or perfectly designed? Definitely not. But it worked.

After a few weeks:

My energy came back
I started sleeping better
My mood lifted
I felt stronger—physically and mentally

Fast forward a year later: I felt like a new person. All because of one tiny habit.

Instead of chasing big, overwhelming changes, I guided myself to follow the '1% Rule'— a concept from James Clear’s Atomic Habits — where tiny daily improvements lead to powerful long-term results.

Here it is in a nutshell: If you improve by just 1% every day, in 1 year you’ll be 37 times better. Not perfect—just better. And that’s how long-lasting health is built.

NZ Police

Editor

The Membership Card

The Grey Power office got contacted that a wallet with a Grey Power membership card was found. If we could notify the person where to pick it up. We duly did that and the member said that he didn't lose his wallet recently, but three years ago!

What was even more astonishing was that the wallet still contained money in it and was in good condition. And yes, it was his; thank you for returning it. He reported it to the police as stolen at the time. The finder of the wallet said he didn't bother with the police, since it would have just gone into the lost property room. Since the finder found the Grey Power membership card in the wallet, he decided to phone Grey Power instead.

Moral of the story: Keep your Grey Power membership card in your wallet at all times; you never know when it becomes handy.

Scam Alert - False Police Officers

Real Police officers are warning Kiwis to be vigilant of cold callers posing as Police officers, as a pesky scam rears its head.

Waitematā CIB’s acting Detective Senior Sergeant Ben Bergin says, “unsuspecting victims are essentially being called out of the blue under a ruse”.

“The story changes slightly, but it will usually involve some sort of investigation and this ‘officer’ will report having located a valuable item of yours, such as a passport.

He will need your help or ask for your personal information. The caller speaks with an English accent and provides a bogus ID number to the victim.”

If you receive a phone call such as this, Police advise the public to be extremely cautious. Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Bergin says previous iterations of this scam has involved scammers asking people to withdraw cash as part of ‘an investigation’ or handing over bank details.

“We strongly advise that you hang up,” he says. If you have received a similar call, please report this to Police online now or call 105.

“From time-to-time, Police officers may contact you as part of their genuine duties. It can be a bit surprising to receive a call unexpectantly, so stop and think if you get a far-fetched story shared down the telephone line.”

𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗭𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗲

Police will never ask for your bank details, pin numbers or banking log in.
Police do not offer prize money
Police will never ask you to go to a bank and withdraw your own cash
Stop and think: If the call seems off, hang up and call 105 to verify the officer’s identity, or request a callback.

Compromised E-Mail Address?

Is your personal information exposed to hackers due to a data breach? Most likely you won't know. There are a number of websites which can be used to check that. Only use one from a known reputable provider. Here are a couple of them: Malwarebytes or Norton.

Can I trust a Company to send me my Purchase?

Can I trust a local or overseas company to deliver what I am ordering? Use Trustpilot to get an idea how they are performing. Don't just look at the score, but read the comments as well to find out why a specific score was given. Also, don't spend more than you can afford to lose if things go badly wrong with the order.

Greek Coconut Lemon Cake

Ingredients

Cake:

125 grams butter
1 cup of sugar
4 eggs
2 cups desiccated coconut
1 cup self raising flour

Syrup:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
Juice & grated rind of 2 lemons

Method

Cake:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy
Add eggs, then flour and coconut
Pour into 20cm square tin or loaf pan that has been lined with baking paper
Put into 200C oven for 10 minutes then lower oven to 150C for 25-30 minutes

Syrup:

Place all ingredients in a pan bring to boil then simmer for 5 minutes
Pour over hot cake
Leave cake in pan until cool

Double the recipe for larger cake pans. Happy baking