Clean Up New Zealand Week ­ 8th September to 16 th

Are you one in 1.3 million?

New Zealand’s annual spring clean starts in just 1 month and indications are that it will be the best-attended in Keep New Zealand Beautiful’s history.

1.3 million Kiwis are expected to get out during the week to clean up the country’s parks, beaches, streets and riverbanks: that’s slightly more than 1-in-4 of the population.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful organises the event and provides bags, gloves and general health and safety advice. The expected record turnout is fitting for its 40 th anniversary.

“I think we are primed for the most fantastic mass-participation event ever in New Zealand,” says KNZB’s chief executive, Barry Lucinsky. “It’s interesting that it won’t take place in some big stadium with a crowd cheering on. This work is from the heart. It’ll be individuals, neighbours, schools, businesses and friends all doing their bit. That’s why it means so much.”

The Clean-up week last year attracted 900,000 participants who collectively scooped up 400,000 bags of litter.

“We have this clean and green image fixed in our brains,” Mr Lucinsky says, “Maybe we owned the image once but look out the window when you’re driving about and see how litter is slowly spoiling it all.”

September 8 th to the 16 th is one week during which KZNB offers Kiwis the chance to claim at least some of that clean look back. Mr. Lucinsky says he realises 1 week’s effort won’t fix things permanently but it’s the mind-set he wants to establish too that’s important.

“You get 1.3 million Kiwis cleaning up and most won’t want to see it revert. You don’t spend a day picking up this litter and then relax when you see it dashing about in the wind again. I think those who take part will find a new pride in how their communities look,” he says. “We certainly noticed that in past years. It’s why the participation rate keeps going up.”

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