APPA News & Updates

(Palmy’s) Plastic Pollution Challenge applies citizen science to find out how much plastic litter is in our urban waterways. The challenge was launched in Palmerston North in March 2019 and is now expanding through the Manawatū River Catchment. Plastic Pollution Challenge is a collaboration between Manawatū River Source to Sea, Massey Zero Waste Academy, Rangitāne o Manawatū and Palmerston North City Council. Click here to follow the story of (Palmy’s) Plastic Pollution Challenge and how Read more…

Author – Amber-Leigh Woolf  A growing “vortex of trash” in the middle of the North Pacific Ocean is the largest it’s ever been, according to those who have been there.  The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is a rubbish and plastic-filled vortex that is more than twice as large as the US state of Texas.  Algalita South Pacific director Raquelle De Vine recently returned from weeks at sea and said her feelings of helplessness and “total despair” worsen every time she goes Read more…

At the end of 2018, The Kiwi Bottle Drive campaign delivered a petition with over 15,000 signatures to Parliament, calling on the Government to implement a nationwide container deposit scheme for beverage containers in New Zealand. The petition is currently before the Environment Select Committee, who will report back to the House later this year with their recommendations. On Thursday 30 May 2019, APPA members Holly Dove (Campaign Coordinator for The Kiwi Bottle Drive) and Read more…

Lorella Doherty, Director of Rethinking Plastic Revolution, educates and inspires people throughout Aotearoa about plastic pollution. She uses her passion for the ocean and earth and her Marine Biology and Conservation Degree to educate people about the effects plastic pollution has on the marine environment in particular. She facilitates local beach cleans, collaborates with other environmental organisations on plastic awareness projects and events, is a marine plastic artist, and co-ordinates projects to raise awareness about Read more…

On February 27th, a group of enthusiastic locals met at Charlie and Ella’s house for a “Citizen Science Training” evening. Invited where those who had previously indicated  an interest in learning more about the “science” in citizen science of the Raglan Beach Cleans. Invitations were shared through the Karioi page (865 likes), Raglan Notice Board, and the Karioi Volunteer email list  (70 contacts) 12 people attended, plus 4 organizers – all indicated an interest to Read more…

Welcome to the APPA. We want to share our story with you about how and why we decided to create the APPA and what we have been doing behind the scenes to get this little organisation up and running. Discussions about the need for a group like APPA first surfaced at the initial public meeting of The PURE Tour, which involved some of APPA’s founding members (and others), on 4 February 2018 at Sustainable Coastlines Flagship Read more…