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The Rotaract is a service club that encourages the development of the leadership abilities in young adults between the age of 18 and 38 so that they may be leaders in their communities and workplace. The term "Rotaract" stands for "Rotary in Action", though the origins of the name is an amalgamation of the words Interact and Rotary.
The first official Rotaract club was opened in North Carolina in 1968. New Zealand's first official Rotaract club was chartered in 1969. From then Rotaract clubs started to spread quickly throughout New Zealand. There were over 50 clubs running throughout New Zealand in 1970, only two years after the first NZ club opened. In 1982 the number of clubs grew to approximately 80 clubs.
There was a decline in Rotaract clubs in the late 80s and early 90s, with many clubs shutting down, to the point of the Rotaract Club of Somerville in Auckland servicing the entire Auckland region. However, in 2003 the clubs of the University of Auckland and Pakuranga were chartered, with clubs being charted in other cities including Hamilton and Christchurch.