Doing her bit for Papatuanuku
The gloves were literally off during rubbish warrior Kiri Danielle’s visit to Tokoroa.
The Rotorua based television personality, early childhood teacher, and environmentalist has been embarking on a mission to see Papatuanuku (mother earth) free of litter through her #Cleanearth movement.
The aim of the movement, which is all done voluntarily, is to encourage people to stop and pick up litter and to help to discourage littering in the first place.
To do so Danielle visits various locations and live streams videos of her and her growing number of followers picking up rubbish.
She has a global following after a video of her pulling a couch out of a stream with her car and a rope was shared by the Kiwi Daddys Facebook group with its 55,000 members around the world.
So in typical Danielle fashion it didn’t take long to find help in Tokoroa during her recent visit.
‘‘We are taking it to the gutter,’’ Danielle said as she sat in the rain picking up rubbish.
‘‘I am cleaning out a gutter with my bare hands - I am alive, I am still alive, and I’m going to keep saying that.’’
She then ran down the street towards two ‘‘bros in hoddies’’ to ask if they would clean up with her.
‘‘We can all do better and I challenge people in Tokoroa to be a good example for the rest of New Zealand.’’ Kiri Danielle
‘‘Will they represent for Tokoroa?’’ she asked.
The two men, Staz and Caleb, were more than happy to.
‘‘Do you see rubbish lying around, where do you see it?’’ Danielle asked to which Staz replied ‘‘everywhere’’.
It’s that reality that prompted Danielle to take action against littering in the first place.
‘‘I started seven years ago but it has only been in recent months that it’s gone from me chipping away to an international event,’’ she said.
She said litter in Tokoroa was much like other places in New Zealand and was the result of people developing bad habits.
‘‘The council is having to do the job picking up after lazy people when it could be spending money on much better things.’’
For more information on the movement and upcoming events visit Facebook or email kiridanielle@gmail.com.