Men's Groups Newsletter - August 2026

Hello ,

Alek here, stepping in to write the newsletter during Hardy's winter travels. There are a lot of events coming up you don't want to miss. Without further ado...

In this issue:

Rotoiti Men's Retreat Recap
Facilitation & Leadership Workshop - 25 to 27 September 2026
Labour Weekend Rotoiti Men's Retreat - 23 to 26 October 2026
International Men's Open Day 2026 - 14 Nov 2026
Summer Retreat (formerly Waitangi Retreat) - 12 to 14 February 2027

Rotoiti Men's Retreat Recap

The King's Birthday Rotoiti Retreat was a true gem. Nearly 40 dedicated men showed up at Rotoiti — the largest gathering in modern memory — with many new men welcomed and elders honoured.

Men shared much laughter, stories, banter, deep discussion, and challenge.

The circle held a lot and it held it with grace. One of the highlights for me was on several occasions when very strong emotion was expressed in the circle, sometimes aimed directly at another man. The circle held it. The men paused and contemplated. My heart was racing. Still the circle held it. In being held, each man who was challenged responded with such grace it blew me away. True alchemy happened. Anger softened to understanding, acceptance and mutual respect. The circle, and each man in it, walked away stronger.

There was a real sense of brotherhood, belonging, of being deeply held and supported. The experience leaves me feeling more alive, more empowered, and excited to help move this work forward, making it more accessible to more men across New Zealand.

For any man who's on the fence and not sure whether to attend, I highly recommend you show up for yourself at the next Rotoiti retreat, happening over Labour Weekend.

Facilitation & Leadership Workshop

25 – 27 September 2026
Deer Lodge, St Arnaud

Last year’s inaugural leadership weekend was a full on success. We all walked away more confident in our role inside the movement. Whether you a are interested in facilitating a new group, be an uncle, whether your group has become stuck (conflicts, low energy ie attendance, no one processing deeply...) or you want to be more involved in the overall organising and promoting of our culture, this weekend retreat will give you all the aspects.

We talk about group formation, active participation, making a call when no one else dares, conflict and mental health challenges. Leadership without power and ego. The principles of our philosophy. The techniques, themes, challenges of group work.

This is not a lecture series but active engagement of all participants, bring in your experience and queries. Seasoned facilitators will share their knowledge.

This event is strictly by pre-booking. The cost is $90 for the whole weekend. If you have a problem committing contact Hardy 021 213 2299.

Learn more

Labour Weekend Rotoiti Men's Retreat

23 - 26 October 2026
Rotoiti Outdoor Education Lodge, St Arnaud

It’s been going since the 90s. Murray has held space all this time, twice a year. Men come from all over the country, on average 25 guys. To me it’s the rite of passage for every man who does circle work. Over 3 nights, 4 days, 6 circles, sharing cooking and meals, walks and workshops, you have the opportunity to go deeper than a fortnightly men's group can go in 2-3 hours.

Explore the deeper layers of what's going on for you. Enjoy the comradery and sense of belonging. For the price of a couple of 30-45 minute counselling sessions you get all that.

Learn more

International Men's Open Day 2026 - take part!

14 November 2026
Victory Community Center

A lot of you have joined a group through Int Men’s Day. You've seen the benefits. You experienced how it works. How do you feel about contributing?

Do you want to offer your energy?

There is a group that will organise the event. We are very open for new people. We have a manual with timelines on how to proceed. Work ramps up in earnest August/September. Before that there have to be talks about how to shape it this time, what changes in format or promotion, what content to pursue.

Last year we had a very intrepid group with lots of fun and interesting talks. The workload was very manageable. You can choose how much is practical for you. If you'd like to explore your participation, contact us (021 213 2299 Hardy or Martin or Victor or Maurice or Alek)

Learn more

Summer Retreat (formerly Waitangi Retreat)

12 – 14 Feb 2027
Deer Lodge, St Arnaud

We created this retreat with new guys in mind. We are going just as deep but take the time for newer men to learn what’s happening when the circles go deeper.

In the tradition of the other 2 retreats which Murray holds and with a very similar format, we'd like to invite you to our retreat on 14-16 February.

This is for men of all levels of experience, but we emphasise introducing new(er) guys to the “deep-dive” circle work. We realise it's quite a step for new men to submit to a whole weekend with strangers. Therefore we focus on having a bunch of experienced guys hold safe space and no one is pushed towards anything they aren’t comfortable with.

Apart from that its a great opportunity to meet guys from other groups and share in the community that has been building around men's work.

We arrive Friday 14^th for a shared dinner and a circle after. We will have 4 circles or more plus plenty of time to mingle and hang out. Bring food to share for dinners plus what you need for the rest of the meals. Bring bedding and everything to look after yourself. Sleeping is in bunkrooms or marae style.

Absolutely no camping or sleeping in vehicles. It will get us banned!

Cost is $90 for the weekend.

This event is strictly by pre-booking. The cost is $90 for the whole weekend. If you have a problem committing contact Hardy 021 213 2299.

Learn more

Looking for a men's group?

If you've been sitting on the fence so far, or know someone who is looking for a group, we can refer you to a variety of groups to suit you. A new one or an experienced one, younger or older age group. We have put together 7 groups so far and in total have some 12 to 15 groups in Nelson/Tasman. Nationwide through our website we cover all regions.

Contact us or individual groups via the website or directly

Mensgroup.nz

Our Nationwide network website - Your website

The website now represents 53 groups across all regions in NZ . The movement is growing and thriving. How does that make you feel? Check out the site, publish your events, get in touch with us.

Alek has done an outstanding job creating and expanding a truly engaging and professional website for all men’s groups in New Zealand.

Events

Check https://www.mensgroup.nz/events/ for the latest updates

Represent your group on mensgroup.nz

If your group hasn't done so, consider writing a blurb and submit a photo through the website submission form. Its a way of networking with others and may give you new recruits when you need them.

Links

mensgroup.nz ======= That's Our (Your) website

If you want any announcements in this newsletter and/or on our website like events , vacancies in your group or whatever, contact us. We will however decide if its relevant here. We don’t want to spam people.

mensgroupsnelson@gmail.com

Hardy
Hardybachert@web.de
021 213 2299

Victor
022 326 4157

Alek
aleklisefski@gmail.com