Keep Taupo Beautiful during Clean Up Week 2009

Iconic Kiwi organisation Keep New Zealand Beautiful is organising a nationwide clean-up week and has picked Taupo as one of three special locations to launch the campaign.

 

The organisers of ‘The Great New Zealand Spring Clean’, from 4 to 11 September, are determined to make it New Zealand’s largest volunteer participated event with the aim of encouraging Kiwis to get involved in cleaning up their local community and caring for their environment on an ongoing basis.

 

Taupo district, Waiheke Island and the South Island’s West Coast will be highlighted throughout the campaign and it is hoped the three regions will lead by example.

 

Taupo District Councillor Bernhard Chrustowski is pleased Taupo has been selected. “We all know that litter is everyone’s responsibility, so this is a great opportunity for the public get involved and show the rest of New Zealand just how tidy we can be.” Cr Chrustowski notes that while the district is already quite tidy, it is not perfect. “The pressure put on us from having so many visitors and events makes litter containment a key issue for Taupo.”

 

The Council and More FM are encouraging everyone in Taupo to get involved. Groups can register online at www.knzbcleanupweek.co.nz or come to the Tongariro North Domain at 11am on Sunday 6 September for the More FM Taupo ‘Big Clean Up’. Register your name, grab a bag, and come back with it full of litter for a sausage sizzle and spot prizes.

 

Throughout the week, special ‘drop-off’ zones will be located around the Taupo district where groups can drop-off bags of collected litter. More information will be made available on the Council’s website www.taupo.govt.nz

 

Tony Rush, Chairman of Keep New Zealand Beautiful, says all contributions make a difference, from small clean-ups to large scale events. He says the response so far has been overwhelming with thousands of volunteers preparing clean-ups in regions up and down the country.

 

“It shows Kiwis are proud of the clean, green image we have and are keen to get involved to protect it,” says Mr Rush.