Putting a shine on Kaitaia
Public-spirited folk from the wider community joined Shine on Kaitaia for a community clean-up day on Sunday, the last day of Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week, concentrating on the centre of the town and sprucing up the gardens in front of the old Pak‘nSave carpark.
More than 50 enthusiastic volunteers, all clad in high-vis vests and armed with maps, gloves, long-handled tongs (courtesy of CBEC) and bags, were dispatched in all directions, many choosing to streets and other areas that they had seen were particularly messy, others tidying up the main and surrounding streets of the central business area, as well as carparks, parks, sports areas and service lanes.
Groups that arrived in force and made a big difference included crews from the Corrections Department, the Kaitaia Seventh Day Adventist Church, members of Kaitaia Time Bank and a hard-working team of teachers and students from Pamapuria School.
They returned to the carpark with more than 60 bags full of rubbish they had pulled out of drains, hedges and scattered around the town, not only helping to improve the look of Kaitaia but ensuring that it didn’t end up in waterways, potentially affecting the health of the environment and kaimoana.
The rubbish was duly sorted into waste and various forms of recycling before being taken to the Kaitaia transfer station. The last day of Keep New Zealand Beautiful Week was a busy one for some of Kaitaia’s young folk. Aluminium cans and disposable coffee cups were in greatest abundance, main organiser Stephanie Lee hoping the effort would encourage others to dispose of their waste more consciously and appropriately, buy reusable products and ensure that each year there was less to be found in drains, around the town and heading to landfills.
This was Shine on Kaitaia’s second community clean-up event, and the support of volunteers, the Far North District Council and locals with friendly toots was appreciated, some kind people even rewarding the workers with food and baking.
Kaitaia Hire supplied and delivered a cherry picker and water blaster for further cleaning of the old Pak’nSave building, which Shine on Kaitaia hopes to develop as a youth activity centre. In the meantime the carpark has become the central hub for events such as the Christmas Parade, as well as expos throughout the year.
“All hands made a big difference to the town, and the community spirit was tangible throughout the day,” Stephanie said.
“There is a huge amount of satisfaction knowing that you’ve contributed to your environment in a positive way, and have been part of making a difference.”
The morning ended with volunteers gathering for food.