Ocean Champion entry deadline approaching

The New Zealand Association for Environmental Education has extended the deadline for entries in this year’s national Seaweek Ocean Champions competition to Thursday January 31.

Ocean Champion contenders will be required to undertake a specific action to help solve a problem in the marine environment, in junior and senior categories. Junior entrants will describe their challenge, and publicise it on their school blog or Facebook page, all entries going into a draw for prizes from Auckland Whale and Dolphin Safari and the Outboard Boating Club.

Senior entrants will outline their challenge on the Seaweek website.

Voting is online during February and the winner will receive a prize package equivalent to at least $500 from the New Zealand Coastal Society.

Nominees will all be featured on the Seaweek website and social media channels. To enter, go to www.seaweek.org.nz and explain your ideas for improving the marine environment.

“We are looking forward to seeing what creative ideas our ocean champions can come up with this year. There are so many people and groups working away quietly around the country doing their bit to protect our coastline and seas and it’s wonderful to be able to celebrate their work and share their stories. We hope everyone finds it as inspiring as we do, because we can all be ocean champions if we rise to the challenge we set ourselves,” Seaweek’s national co-ordinator Dr Mels Barton said.

Seaweek (March 2-10, with the theme ‘Tiakina o Ta¯tou Mo¯ana — Care for our Seas’) will highlight practical steps everyone can take to keep the coastline and seas healthy.