Conservation and Education Minister Nick Smith today launched Clean Up New Zealand in Wellington with Ian Kiernan, founder of Clean Up the World by joining 200 pupils from Lyall Bay School to help clean up Lyall Bay Beach.

"New Zealand is fortunate to have so many beautiful beaches and parks, but too often they are ruined by litter, graffiti and a lack of public care. Clean Up New Zealand is all about building community support for better care of our public places. Spring has traditionally been about a home based spring clean. We also need to take the opportunity in spring to clean up our public places."

Clean Up the World has been running for six years and involves over 40 million people in 120 countries. When recently in Australia on an ANZAC fellowship, Dr Smith was impressed by the Clean Up Australia programme and wanted to see it adopted in New Zealand.

"Clean Up New Zealand week is not just about children. However, if we can get children to better understand the need to look after our public places then we can start to change the way adults behave. The Clean Up New Zealand campaign will be an annual event, of which this year is the first. I encourage all local bodies, schools and public authorities to get involved and make this week a success."

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>