NZ Vegetarian Society invites NZers to vote for competition

NZ Vegetarian Society spokesperson Philip McKibbin says NZers need to get in quick if they want to vote for this year’s Think Kind student competition. Voting closes on Thursday.

October is Vegetarian Awareness Month and to celebrate, the NZ Vegetarian Society has announced the finalists for its annual competition. Students from across the country were encouraged to use their unique talents to help the animals.

The public can view the finalists’ entries, and vote for their favourite, here: http://www.vegetarian.org.nz/vegetarian-events/think-kind-2019/2019-think-kind-competition-winners/

Mr McKibbin says two projects are ahead, but it is still too early to say who will win.

“It’s too close to call! The variety of projects is impressive. There’s a song sung in front of the class, two action projects, an educational video, a poster, a poem, a short story, a website, and a letter to the Prime Minister which she replied to. There’s even a Scratch coding project about animal testing and what we can do about it.”

He says that the aim of the competition is to encourage children to think about how we can be kind to animals.

“Children love animals. As people get older, they tend to become desensitised to the violence that animals experience - for food, in testing for cosmetics, and in entertainment. We want to ensure that children’s love of animals is nurtured, and that, as they grow up, they think about how they can live kinder, healthier lives.”

The NZ Vegetarian Society received almost twice as many entries as last year. There were more than 200 entries from around 30 schools.

Viktória Lencsés Spear, one of the Think Kind judges, says the judges loved the entries.

“We were so impressed with the entries we received this year, and with the number of schools that participated. It was tough choosing the finalists. I’m glad the winner is decided by a people's choice vote, because I don't think I'd be able to choose!”

Voting closes 31 October, and the winner is drawn 1 November, World Vegan Day.

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