Pupils clean up beaches on Auckland’s North Shore
ZIZI SPARKS/FAIRFAX NZ
A student examines the contents of her rubbish bag during the 2015 beach clean up.
Schools from Devonport and Takapuna on Auckland’s North Shore are taking initiative to clean up the beaches.
On September 13, more than 1000 students from nine schools will clean up eight beaches in the area.
The clean-up is organised by Devonport Peninsula Trust, and the community coordinator Maria Teape says it’s been running since about 2011.
It didn’t used to be an annual event but it’s looking like it will become one.
“We decided to make it every other year, then after the one last year, the principals said they were all really keen to make it an annual thing,” Teape says.
“It’s a great opportunity to get school students and teachers and caregivers involved in their community and taking pride in their place.”
Bayswater School is sending more than 160 students to pick up litter.
Teacher Dianne Cluett says taking care of the environment is important to the school.
“We believe you should not leave litter anywhere, and there’s a responsibility that if there’s litter around you pick it up and take responsibility to take care of our environment,” Cluett says.
Teape and Cluett says it is also about education, as environmental organisation Sustainable Coastlines does talks at some of the schools before the clean-up.
