Keep NZ Beautiful annual conference, Kilbirnie, Wellington

Thank you for the opportunity to speak at your conference.

The first time I addressed your conference, the New Zealand Waste Strategy was a very new creature and we were uncertain where and how litter issues should fit under the Strategy.

The government was also supporting clean up campaigns run by Clean Up New Zealand, and there was some question about how that organisation should sit alongside Keep New Zealand Beautiful.

Today I would like to reflect on the journey we have taken since our first meeting, and where I think the relationship should go from here. My remarks focus mainly on litter, but I acknowledge that your organisation has much broader interests.

As many of you will know, the New Zealand Waste Strategy launched in 2002 set out to change the way New Zealanders thought about waste. In particular, the Strategy put a much greater emphasis on materials efficiency and waste reduction. It contained three important proposals:
·Cutting the amount of waste we generate
·increasing the proportion of materials being recycled, and
·reducing the amount of waste going to landfills.

The strategy didn't just focus on the amount of waste. It also set the scene for new ways of working and has a number of important implications for litter management.

The Strategy was developed as a partnership between central government and Local Government New Zealand, and the spirit of partnership has underpinned many of the activities that have flowed from the waste strategies. Partnerships bring the strengths and problem solving skills of different groups for a common purpose.

The Strategy also introduced the concept of extended producer responsibility – which we now call Product Stewardship. Product stewardship acknowledges that producers, importers, retailers and users all have some responsibility for products at different points over the life of those products. Producers are asked to take particular responsibility for management of goods that have reached the end of their useful life.

The product stewardship principle and partnership underpin a third important element, the Packaging Accord. Under the Accord, relevant industry groups, and local and central government have committed to reduce the environmental impacts of packaging.

I have been impressed by the enthusiasm with which many groups have addressed the Packaging Accord. For instance, the Environmental Beverage Action Group, a group established to look after drink bottles and cans, is working very hard to increase the rates at which those items are recycled.

Some of the major companies working on packaging issues are strong supporters of Keep New Zealand Beautiful, and I applaud them for being so.

It would be fair to say that litter was not at the forefront of our minds when the Waste Strategy was released. Your organisation is one of the forces that has brought the issue to my attention. Thank you for being so persistent.

Now that the issue has been raised, what is being achieved?

Over the past 18 months or so, I have convened a number of meetings in my office to talk about litter issues. These meetings were attended by government and local government officials, and representatives of Keep New Zealand Beautiful and industry groups.

We identified three issues of general concern:

·The lack of national co-ordination of litter initiatives
·The absence in recent years of a national litter abatement campaign.
·And the workability of the present litter legislation

I am pleased to report progress on these issues.

I will not say much about the Litter Act here. It is the responsibility of my colleague, Chris Carter, the Minister of Local Government, and he has agreed to look at proposals for a limited amendment to the Act. However, work is required on what the substance of any problems might be, and how they might be addressed, before we can commit to any specific changes.

Co-ordination of litter issues is improving. By the time you take councils, Keep New Zealand Beautiful, Transit, DoC, tourist interests and Local Government New Zealand into account, there are many different agencies working away at litter and related issues.

There are some very good initiatives being undertaken, which have the potential to support and enhance each other. I am thinking of the "Be a tidy kiwi" campaign being run by Auckland councils, the forthcoming Clean Up New Zealand Week, and the influence in schools of the Enviroschools programmes.

However, in recent times there has not been a forum in which groups with an interest in litter can share information and ideas, and develop a strategic focus.

That's why I asked the Ministry for the Environment to take a leadership role in convening such a forum. Two meetings have been held since June. I understand that the meetings have been well attended by council, industry and government representatives and by Keep New Zealand Beautiful.

The group will probably call itself a Litter Alliance. While the Alliance is not yet ready to go public with its proposals, I understand that it has developed what should be the bones of a national litter strategy. Over the next few weeks, I hope that the Alliance will further develop the draft strategy and seek buy-in from its members.

The third area of interest is a national litter abatement campaign. Information and education is important. As Minister for the Environment for two terms now, I am well aware of how difficult it can be to change behaviour through communication and persuasion. There are very few quick fixes, but many New Zealanders do have a strong sense of attachment to their environment. If we can identify the appropriate triggers, we can develop an effective campaign around the need to look after what we feel is important.

Good campaigns take careful preparation and planning. The Alliance recognises that there is a need for a national campaign in its strategy, and it is looking at what approaches are most likely to be effective. I imagine that the Alliance will then need to look at how a communication campaign would be delivered, what the key messages should be and, importantly, and how it might be funded.

Putting a case for funding to government through the Ministry for the Environment is certainly one option. I can’t speak for a future government, but based on past experience, I know that any proposal will need to be based on a clear way forward to an outcome of less litter – even zero litter. Tangible evidence of support, including some funding from other stakeholders, generally helps strengthen the case.

For those of you here today involved in the Litter Alliance, I wish you every success.

So where does Keep New Zealand Beautiful fit within the national picture?

That is largely up to you.

You have a particular role under the Litter Act and you may aspire to take a stronger leadership and co-ordination role on litter. I would like to see you take on such a role, but you will need to ensure you are well equipped to do so.

I am aware that your organisation has had a few quiet years, but you have undergone a resurgence over the past two years and membership numbers are up. You have five more councils in the Top Town programme, bringing the total to 55, and you have 26 new businesses, with some very significant financial support from corporations,

Volunteers have turned out for KNZB activities on almost half a million occasions.

This shows that you have the ability to bring together a unique mix of on-the-ground volunteers, council members and corporate stakeholders.

In addition, you are an organisation with a proud history, a strong brand, and some very bankable intellectual property. Your logo is well known and probably very well loved. Taking over Clean Up New Zealand’s assets and running the 2005 Clean Up New Zealand week will help reinforce your brand.

Taking a more active role in litter activities may require something of a step up in terms of organisational capacity. Government-community partnerships have become much more focused over the past 10 years or so. Government agencies appreciate being able to work with NGOs and community groups, but they like to see evidence of:
·Clear strategic focus
·Robust governance and management, and
·The ability to deliver services, or outputs, that are relevant to the government’s social, economic and environmental goals.

These are never easy to grapple with, especially for small organisations with limited resources. Funding streams are uncertain and organisational resources are stretched.

However, you have good friends and supporters, many of whom will be in the audience today. I understand that governance issues are on the agenda this weekend. I would like to see Keep New Zealand Beautiful fulfil its potential as a key partner for the government on litter issues.

That isn't only the responsibility of the board. Those of you who are members of Keep New Zealand Beautiful should take a frank look at where you are at present. A successful organisation needs everyone to engage fully in discussion on governance and strategic issues, and to support the board as it plans its way forward.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge Keep New Zealand Beautiful’s role in a range of issues other than litter.

The Ministry for the Environment convenes a working group on waste and tourism. Discussion among working group members has highlighted how much importance the tourism sector places on issues such as litter abatement and the provision of good quality public toilets. I understand that you are reviving the Top Town and Best Loo competitions and that you have had a good range of entries for both.

New Zealand is marketed abroad as 100% Pure. Tourism is our biggest export earner, and it employs one in 10 New Zealanders.

It is vital that we protect and enhance the environment that overseas visitors come to enjoy, and that we provide good quality facilities for them. I congratulate you for running programmes that both help protect the 100% Pure image, and that encourage the development of good facilities for tourists.

Of course, many of the same facilities are appreciated by New Zealanders. One of the many exciting developments in my portfolio over the past few years has been that of urban sustainability. Put simply, urban sustainability is about ensuring our cities are good places to live in. This requires good design, and careful thought about the placement of services. It is about making sure that people can move around easily by foot, that lighting is good, and that there are adequate green spaces.

It also means that facilities such as refuse and recycling bins are in the right places, and that people are reminded to use them.

Urban sustainability picks up on many of the themes that Keep New Zealand Beautiful has worked on previously. I think that there are opportunities for your organisation to support urban sustainability initiatives and to draw from them as you update and grow your own programmes.

Thank you again for inviting me here. There is plenty of challenging work to be done on litter and related work. I wish you a successful and stimulating conference for a bright future.