U3A Tauranga

Monthly Meetings

We arrange interesting guest speakers for all our Monthly Meetings. A light morning tea is also provided, offering a great opportunity to socialize with members outside of your usual interest groups.

Next Meetings

  • Tauranga: 17th April 2026

    Main Speaker: Ian Howell
    Topic: The City Rail Link: More Than Just a Tunnel
    Short Speaker: Liz Stewart U3A Health and Safety Officer
    Topic: Our Updated Health and Safety Procedure

    About main speakers talk

    The City Rail Link (CRL) is the largest infrastructure project in New Zealand’s history, but behind the orange cones and massive cranes, what is really happening? In this talk, Ian Howell breaks down the project into four chapters:

    • The Why: Why was this massive project needed in the first place, and what problem does it solve?
    • The How: A look at the incredible engineering required including 3.5km long tunnels beneath a working city.
    • The Balancing Act: How do you keep a city like Auckland moving while you’re digging up its main streets? Ian shares his first-hand experience in disruption management.
    • The Future: How these new stations are designed to transform the neighbourhoods around them, changing the way people live and work.

    About the Speaker

    Ian Howell is the Web Manager for U3A Tauranga. Before retiring and moving back to Tauranga, Ian worked as Auckland Transport’s CRL Project Director. He was closely involved in many aspects of the City Rail Link project, including the complex logistics of transport disruption management and ensuring the new infrastructure integrates seamlessly into the city’s existing transport network.

About the Speaker

  • Katikati: 8th April 2026

    Main Speaker: Chris Archer (historian and author)
    Topic: “Recovering a New Zealand ANZAC legacy, the story of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade in Egypt and Palestine (1916-1919)”
    Short Speaker: Katherine Lucas

    The meeting starts with general business for a few minutes, followed by our short talk. This month Katherine Lucas, who volunteers at the Victoria Battery Tramway Society, will talk about the history of the site.

    Our main speaker, Chris Archer, historian and author, “Recovering a New Zealand ANZAC legacy, the story of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade in Egypt and Palestine (1916-1919)”.
    With the approach of Anzac Day this seems a good time to review this all but forgotten legacy.

Venue Information

Tauranga Meetings are held in the
Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club,
Sulphur Point, Tauranga.
When: The third Friday of every month (from February to November).
Time: 10.00 – 12 noon
Door Charge: $5.00

Katikati Meetings are held in the Community Hub (the Centre – Patuki Manawa) next to the Library.

Time: 10:00am – 12:00 noon.
Door Charge: $3

Past Monthly Meetings