16,000 Kiwi Kids Set To Help Keep Oceans Rubbish Free

Schools across New Zealand have flocked to sign up to an innovative programme helping educate young Kiwis on how to help keep our oceans rubbish free.

The Nestlé for Healthier Kids Sea Cleaners programme, created by Nestlé New Zealand in partnership with Kiwi non-profit organisation Sea Cleaners, gives schools across the country free access to tools and resources to help kids understand the impact of litter.

The programme aims to educate a new generation of young Kiwis about how their individual actions can have a positive impact on the planet, while helping to tackle the rubbish problem currently plaguing waterways.

The programme includes lesson content developed by School Kit that branches multiple streams of the school curriculum including science, social science and the arts. It provides a variety of resources to help students to categorise and analyse rubbish correctly, as well as information and kits to conduct local clean-ups to demonstrate to students the real-world difference each student’s actions can have on the natural environment.

The free clean-up kits are made from 100% reusable and recyclable materials, including paper collection bags, cotton gloves, and guides to help students correctly sort the rubbish.

Following the success of Nestlé for Healthier Kids Sea Cleaners programme in 2019, which saw 250 classrooms sign up for kits in less than 24 hours, Nestlé has doubled its investment in 2020 to allow even more students across the country to get involved.

This term, 500 Nestlé for Healthier Kids Sea Cleaners clean-up kits have been distributed, reaching more than 16,000 Kiwi students. The kits were again snapped up, demonstrating the demand for access to sustainability resources in the classroom.

Sea Cleaners CEO Hayden Smith said, “By motivating the next generation into conservation action, we are engaging and educating young people on an important issue, which will allow us to collectively work to preserve New Zealand’s waterways for the benefit of the marine life and enjoyment of all users – for generations to come.

“After seeing the positive impact of the programme last year, we are proud to continue our partnership with Nestlé to educate and mobilise even more students and help rid our oceans of waste.”

Nestlé New Zealand Corporate Brand Manager Amanda McDermott said interest in the programme has demonstrated teachers’ huge appetite to put environmentalism onto the classroom agenda and help change behaviours to create a country that is rubbish free.

“To see so many schools across New Zealand join us in the fight to keep our sea rubbish free is absolutely remarkable. We’ve been inspired by the response and love hearing from teachers about how in-classroom learning is being applied tangibly outside of school.

“For Nestlé, this programme forms part of our vision to ensure that none of our packaging ends up in landfill or as litter and this important education piece is an integral step in our journey on waste reduction.”

Schools who may have missed out on clean-up kits can still participate in the programme, with free downloadable resources available from: www.nestle.co.nz/n4hk/sea-cleaners-resource.

Nestlé’s partnership with Sea Cleaners is part of the broader Nestlé for Healthier Kids programme that aims to help 50 million children worldwide lead healthier lives by 2030.

About Nestlé for Healthier Kids

Nestlé for Healthier Kids initiative aims to help 50 million children worldwide lead healthier lives by 2030 through further development of healthier products and advice for families on nutrition and exercise. Inspiring people through sharing nutrition knowledge and empowering parents, caregivers and teachers to foster healthy behaviours in children is a core part of this.

About Sea Cleaners

Sea Cleaners is a non-profit organisation with a big vision. The vision of Sea Cleaners, is to preserve New Zealand’s Coastline for the benefit of the marine life and for the enjoyment of all users. Its long term strategy is to educate people, particularly our young people, to dispose of their rubbish in eco-friendly ways, including recycling, and so not to harm the environment.

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