Kāpiti Island, Wellington. Volunteers remove fishing debris alongside their Litter Intelligence audit. Credit: Ministry for the Environment.
This year was one of progress and change. We farewelled our chairperson, Emma Dent, and welcomed long-term trustee Samantha Walmsley-Bartlett into the role. We ran our first-ever ‘Double Your Donation’ campaign, to great success. We helped to unite philanthropic efforts in the Waihou–Piako catchment, contributing building blocks for long-term community-led riparian planting. We also welcomed our first international volunteers through the IVHQ programme since 2019’s border closures.
Due to the success of Litter Intelligence, the Ministry for the Environment provided a further year of funding for the programme. We saw the first of the plastic bans coming into effect, which our litter data had helped to inform, and continued to work with communities in the Pacific.
In November, after 14 years of dedication to Sustainable Coastlines, our co-founder and programmes director, Camden Howitt made the decision to share his passion and expertise further afield. Camden had an indelible effect on what the charity looks like, what we do, and how we go about it — an influence that continues in the team’s mahi today.