- Details
- Written by: Steve Hurley
- Category: Uncategorised
Local Scout and Guide Fellowship (LSGF)
- The LSGF Groups were introduced in New Zealand in 2017
- They came directly under the umbrella of the NZSGF
- B-P Guild merged with LSGF in 2025 so they are now all branches of NZSGF.
- Details
- Written by: Steve Hurley
- Category: Uncategorised
Trefoil Guild
- The Trefoil Guild was first introduced in NZ in 1956
- Trefoil Guild is an Alumnae group within GirlGuiding New Zealand
- It is part of World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)
- It is affiliated to the International Scout and Guide Fellowship (ISGF)
- It is affiliated to the New Zealand Scout and Guide Fellowship (NZSGF)
- Trefoil Guild News is published via E-Link
Baden-Powell Guild
A Brief History
The Baden-Powell Guild of New Zealand was formed as an adult organization dedicated to supporting the Scouting and Guiding movements while fostering lifelong fellowship among its members. The Guild provided a structured avenue for former Scouts, Guides, and other supportive adults to maintain their connection to the movement's core values.
Origins and Affiliations
The history of the Baden-Powell Guild in New Zealand is deeply tied to a post-war global effort to keep adults engaged with Scouting. Named in honour of Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the worldwide Scout movement, The B-P Guild of Old Scouts was inaugurated in Great Britain in 1948 & in 1955, changed its name to B-P Scout Guild. The 1st Guild in NZ was in Wanganui East Scout Group in 1950, but the Baden-Powell Guild was registered as a society in 1956.
The Foundation Branch of the ‘Baden-Powell Guild of Old Scouts’ in New Zealand, the Wanganui East Branch, was formed in 1949 and applied to The Boy Scout Association on 25th May 1950. However, the B-P Guild of Old Scouts was 1st registered in New Zealand in 1956, along with the Trefoil Guild and is currently an associate member of SCOUTS NZ. Robin Cooksey (Little John) who was in charge of the Scout Headquarters Training Team, was appointed the first Dominion Guildmaster in 1960. On reaching the age of 74 years, he retired from his training position and devoted his time fully to the extension of the Guild.
The Baden-Powell Guild is also a member of the New Zealand Scout and Guide Fellowship (Inc.) (NZSGF), formed in 1961 and affiliated to the international body, the International Scout and Guide Fellowship (ISGF), formed in 1953.
Evolution and Core Functions
Over the decades, the B-P Guild into a highly active, decentralized support network. With Branches historically spread across the country—such as the Whangarei, Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill (Murihiku) and Napier's "Little John" Branches—the Guild's activities are defined by three enduring pillars:
Support: Guild members have continually provided a vital, behind-the-scenes logistical backbone to active youth groups. For decades, members have maintained Scout and Guide halls, repaired national campgrounds, served on group committees, and provided large-scale catering for regional and national Jamborees.
Service: Beyond Scouting infrastructure, the Guild has a long history of community outreach. This includes fundraising drives, local conservation and restoration work, and assisting the elderly or those with special needs in their local communities.
Social: Fellowship remains the beating heart of the Guild. Members regularly organize local day trips, heritage railway excursions, lunches, and annual national gatherings (AGM). This allows older generations, who may no longer have the capacity to run weekly youth sections, to remain actively integrated into the Scouting family.
Traditions and Legacy- Te Pukapuka
A lasting hallmark of the B-P Guild of New Zealand is its national newsletter, Te Pukapuka. Published several times a year, the magazine keeps regional branches connected, sharing news of local service projects, "Gone Home" memorials for passed members, and historical scouting anecdotes. The name Te Pukapuka is highly symbolic—it translates from te reo Māori as "the written word" or "book," and is also the name of the native Rangiora shrub, whose broad leaves were historically used as makeshift paper by early settlers and bushmen. Today Te Pukapuka remains as the newsletter for The New Zealand Scout and Guide Fellowship.
- Details
- Category: Uncategorised
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