An exciting Club Otago to start 2026

26/02/2026

What a fantastic start to our Club Otago events for 2026! Guests enjoyed great speakers, food, venue, and company - a wonderful way to kick things off.

A big thank you to our speakers. Assoc Prof Alex Tups from the Department of Physiology, University of Otago shared his research on a natural compound in the common dahlia that helps regulate blood sugar and fight brain inflammation linked to diabetes, leading to a patented product for blood sugar support. He also highlighted the importance of OMRF funding for biomedical science.

After a delicious lunch, our headline speaker Emma Gilmour, NZ Rally Driver, took guests on an exciting journey into the world of rally driving, sharing her top three “pacenotes” for navigating both rally stages and life - plenty of great takeaways!

Emma and Gilmour Motors have even offered Gala guests the chance to race in a rally car with Emma, so maybe some of our Club Otago guests will get bidding after hearing Emma's talk!

Thank you to the Edgar Centre for sponsoring the venue, to all our guests (including some new faces), and to our raffle prize sponsors: Challenge Marketing Ltd, PAK'nSAVE Dunedin, Rialto Cinemas Dunedin, Noisy Brewing, and The Perc Cafe. Special thanks to our Club Otago members and our Club Otago Patron, Mercy Hospital.