We’re excited to announce our new Summer Intern Programme! Sustainable Coastlines is inviting talented individuals of diverse backgrounds to join the Sustainable Coastlines team over summer 2019—2020. Read on to find out about the programme, the different roles available, and how to apply.

Download the Summer Intern Programme information pack here 

What is the Summer Intern Programme at Sustainable Coastlines?
The Summer Intern Programme enables individuals to gain core skills in community engagement, event management, education delivery, design, communications, and more. The goal is for interns to help deliver on the vision of beautiful beaches, healthy waters, and inspired people. As a summer intern, you will work in our experienced Sustainable Coastlines team to care for our coastlines and waterways through the design, coordination, and implementation of our core activities.

Positions available: 1x Design & Communications, 3x Operations, 1x Flagship Education Centre.
Position details: Part time, 30hrs per week (somewhat negotiable).
Time period: November 2019–April 2020 (somewhat negotiable).
Stipend (contribution towards expenses): $100 p/week.
Reporting Manager: Programmes Manager, Auckland / Strategic Partnerships Director.
Position location: Wynyard Quarter, Auckland.
Ideal candidates have: Positivity, initiative, a willingness to learn, availability for the full time period, related experience, NZ residency, a full NZ driver’s licence (Operations Interns only).

Why should I join?

If you’re keen to learn the skills to create a positive environmental difference, or to explore development into an environmental career, one of these positions could be the role for you. Join the experienced, fun, and inspiring Sustainable Coastlines team, learn the tips of the trade, grow your skills and knowledge base, and set yourself up for a lifetime of effecting positive action. 

What does it mean to be a summer intern?

As a Sustainable Coastlines intern you have the ability to drive positive environmental action through grassroots activities and a unifying connection with nature.
It means you’re an environmental leader and you understand how positive action drives more positive action. It means you’ll be recognised for your action, not just your words.

What does the programme offer?

1. Skills development and training specific to your role from our experienced Sustainable Coastlines staff.
2. Access to Sustainable Coastlines staff for brainstorming and mentoring.
3. Quarterly networking sessions where you’ll rub shoulders with Sustainable Coastlines staff, ambassadors, sponsors, and special guests.

4. Sustainable Coastlines merchandise and membership (details on membership TBA).
5. Opportunities to deliver Love Your Coast, Litter Intelligence, and Love Your Water presentations and events.
6. First-aid training
7. Opportunities for paid work beyond the term of your internship.

Who can be involved? 
We work with everyone from all backgrounds, ages, and walks of life. The Summer Intern Programme is open to all persons with NZ residency to apply. 
We ask that you please provide us with your most recent CV so we can get an idea of your personal and professional experience as well as answer some simple questions so we can get to know you better. For Operations or Flagship Education Centre internships, use this application form, and for the Design and Communications internship, please fill out this application form.

Download the Summer Intern Programme information pack here or keep reading for everything you need to know!

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Role descriptions

Operations Interns (x3)

The role:
The Operations Interns will assist with the effective planning, implementation, and development of Sustainable Coastlines’ core activities; namely, beach clean-ups, tree plantings, educational presentations, training workshops, and litter data collection activities.
Working under the support and guidance of our Auckland Programmes Manager, this position will involve the day-to-day coordination of our Love Your Coast, Love Your Water, Litter Intelligence, International Volunteer Programme, DIY, and Ambassador programmes. 
With a busy summer of activities ahead, we are looking for people who add positivity, enthusiasm, initiative, and a can-do attitude to our operations team. No single day will be the same — this role will suit those who like variety and don’t mind rolling their sleeves up and getting stuck in to help others and achieve team goals. 
We’re looking for highly practical, physically fit people with the ability to run events and community engagement activities, and carry out extended scientific field work with a smile on their face.
 
Skills and experience gained:

• Working in a highly functioning and supportive team environment.
• Training and hands-on experience in planning, coordinating, and delivering community, volunteer, and corporate beach clean-ups.
• Training and hands-on experience working on the Litter Intelligence programme, including planning, coordinating and delivering litter transects and data collection with community groups.
• Proficiency in the use of software for project management including Salesforce, Trello, and Xero. 
• Training in the delivery of educational presentations to varied demographics.
• Working with and alongside international volunteers, community groups, corporate groups, schools, and other important community stakeholders.

Experience requirements:

• Clean full driver’s licence.
• A good level of fitness.
• Level headed and practical.
• A strong connection to the ocean and understanding of water and ocean related issues, either professional or otherwise.
•  A strong sense of adventure and willingness to learn.
• Strong writing and communication skills.
• Enthusiastic interpersonal style that promotes a strong team atmosphere.
• Experience in data collection and management and/or scientific processes is preferred but not essential.

 

Flagship Education Centre Intern (x1)

The role:
The Flagship Education Centre Intern (FECI) will take the lead in coordinating events and education activities at the award-winning Flagship Education Centre over summer. The Flagship is a unique and beautiful event space that is on its way to being certified as a ‘Living Building’ (through the Living Building Challenge regenerative design framework). 
The FECI will be tasked with helping to develop and execute a plan to increase hires of the venue as well as coordinate events, ensuring clients are given first-class service before, during, and following events. As The Flagship is open to the public and works as Sustainable Coastlines’ HQ, there are regularly drop ins, groups, and schools visiting — it is the role of the FECI to meet and greet people, conduct tours of the building’s many sustainable design features, and deliver educational presentations on Sustainable Coastlines’ core programmes.
We’re looking for a details-focused, driven, and vibrant person to represent the organisation to important community stakeholders and clients. This is a unique opportunity to work with an inspiring team at the forefront of the sustainability movement.

Skills and experience gained:

• Working in a highly functioning and supportive team environment.
• Training and hands-on experience in coordinating and delivering high-quality events. 
• Knowledge of sustainable building design principles associated with the Living Building Challenge.
• Training in the delivery of educational presentations to varied demographics.
• Proficiency in the use of software for project management including Salesforce, Trello, and Xero. 
• Working with and alongside international volunteers, community groups, corporate groups, schools, and other important community stakeholders.

Experience requirements:

• Experience in hospitality and running events.
• Experience in researching market opportunities and selling of a venue preferred.
• Clean full driver’s license preferred.
• Level headed and practical.
• A strong connection to the ocean and understanding of water and ocean related issues, either professional or otherwise.
•  A strong sense of adventure and willingness to learn.
• Strong writing and communication skills.
• Enthusiastic interpersonal style that promotes a strong team atmosphere.

 

Design and Communications Intern (x1)

The role:
The Design and Communications Intern will work closely with our communications team to produce design collateral and assist with Sustainable Coastlines’ online presence and communications with both our audience and our sponsors.
The role will involve proposing, researching, and adapting content ideas. These may include campaigns, memes, and infographics that could potentially be created or repurposed for Sustainable Coastlines’ online channels. It will also involve assisting with planning for social media, sourcing images, and publishing pre-drafted posts.
There will also be some general admin and work in the partnerships space, including responding to lower-level relationship requests and other queries through our shared inbox, organising the calendar of the Strategic Partnerships Director, and planning our quarterly ‘Friends Of’ event. There will also be the opportunity to assist with developing funding projects, campaign ideas and a ‘sponsor leverage’ toolkit to help our sponsors get the most out of their association with us.
The person we’re looking for is self-motivated and creative; they have excellent attention to detail, a good understanding of brand appropriateness, a flair for social media, experience in communications, and experience using the Adobe suite. 
Skills and experience gained:

• Working in a high-functioning and supportive team environment.
• Design skills: adapting templates and producing design for social media using Adobe InDesign and Illustrator.
• Communication skills including writing, producing effective designs, and a greater understanding of brand appropriateness.
• Software experience: WordPress, Salesforce, MailChimp, and Trello.
• An understanding of the partnerships space: what goes into funding a non-profit organisation.

Experience requirements:

• Strong writing and communication skills.
• Experience in coordinating social media and managing databases.
• Adobe suite, particularly InDesign and Illustrator. Ability to learn new software.
• A strong sense of adventure and willingness to learn.
• Creative and self-motivated with strong problem-solving ability.
• Ability to promote a positive team atmosphere.

 

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Please fill out the appropriate application form below and attach your CV to apply to be a summer intern at Sustainable Coastlines. Applications close once the spaces are filled, so get in quick!
Operations Intern and Flagship Education Centre application form.
Design and Communications Intern application form.

An innovative new programme Litter Intelligence launched today to tackle New Zealand’s litter problem. Led by charity Sustainable Coastlines and supported by the Ministry for the Environment, Statistics New Zealand and the Department of Conservation, the programme enables passionate communities around the country to contribute to our first national beach litter database. The data collected provide powerful insights into the problem; aiming to inspire action and empower decision-making for a litter-free Aotearoa.

To collect litter data long-term, the charity group provides communities with free training, equipment and technology to take part as ‘Citizen Scientists’. Since trainings began in October 2018, litter monitoring sites have been set-up at 79 beaches around Aotearoa. The programme is already helping to prove the prevalence of litter, with an average of 428 items found for every 1,000 square metres of coastline surveyed.

This year’s Colmar Brunton Better Futures Report called build-up of plastic in the environment “The headline issue for New Zealanders”, with 72% of respondents concerned about this issue; higher than all other social and environmental issues surveyed. This widespread concern has sparked communities into action.

“People want to be a part of the solution,” says Sustainable Coastlines Co-Founder Camden Howitt. “Clean-ups are a popular way for groups to address the issue locally. Litter Intelligence brings in science to make clean-ups more effective long-term. By contributing high quality, scientific data, Citizen Scientists can prove which litter problems affect them the most, helping individuals, communities, businesses and governments to solve them.”

The programme’s powerful digital tools and its simple but rigorous United Nations Environment Programme methodology enable Litter Intelligence data to meet the highest standard required for government environmental reporting; a first for citizen science in New Zealand. Having recently been awarded a coveted AI for Earth grant from Microsoft, the charity is now working to integrate artificial intelligence and other smart technologies to provide an even stronger understanding of litter solutions.

The Litter Intelligence website makes all litter data, insights and ‘Action Stories’ free and open for all. “Technology gives us the tools to make environmental data accessible and understandable by everyone,” says Project Manager and Development Lead Dr Sandy Britain. “This gives students and scientists, politicians and business leaders, writers and researchers the right information to take action for a litter-free Aotearoa.”

Although still in its early days, Litter Intelligence has already gained international attention. The charity presented the programme at the Fourth United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi in March this year and trained Citizen Scientists during the Pacific Environment Forum earlier this month in Apia, Samoa.

Sustainable Coastlines wants to hear from groups interested in becoming ‘Citizen Scientists’ at beaches around Aotearoa and further afield. For more information and to express interest, visit www.litterintelligence.org

Eighty-two per cent of New Zealanders are extremely or very concerned about water pollution, with the issue rating higher than both living costs and the national health system.

Addressing the concern Sustainable Coastlines, together with ANZ, is hitting the road to plant native trees and flaxes across New Zealand as part of the ANZ Love Your Water Tour 2019.

The ANZ Love Your Water Tour 2019 will see hundreds of Kiwi volunteers plant tens of thousands of native plants and trees along waterways in 10 New Zealand regions.

The joint riparian restoration effort aims to help reduce pollution by soaking up runoff, controlling erosion by stabilising river banks, creating habitat for improving native biodiversity and helps remove pollution from the atmosphere, directly addressing Climate Change.

As part of the planting effort, Sustainable Coastlines is engaging thousands of school students, families, corporate volunteers, farmers and others to amplify important waterways restoration already being carried out by local community groups.

“Cleaning up our waterways is an immense challenge,” says Sam Judd, Co-Founder of Sustainable Coastlines and former Young New Zealander of the Year, “and this is an issue that affects everyone in the community.”

But despite the difficulty of cleaning up waterways, Judd remains confident that it can be done: “Planting trees next to waterways is one way that we can tackle this challenge with measurable results,” says Judd, “the goal of this tour is to support local efforts to scale up this awesome activity,” he says.

As well as collaborating with local farmers and ANZ staff in the regions, the group is also planting thousands of trees in the main centres where waterways suffer the worst pollution.

This isn’t the first time ANZ and Sustainable Coastlines have worked together. Earlier this year more than 1,250 ANZ employees and Sustainable Coastlines staff collected around 10,000 litres of rubbish off New Zealand beaches.

ANZ Managing Director Commercial and Agri, Mark Hiddleston, says the ANZ Love Your Water Tour provides a practical opportunity for staff and customers to help protect the environment.

“We’re looking forward to working with our customers, stakeholders and local community groups across New Zealand to benefit our waterways. We hope everyone involved in the tour learns something new about protecting the environment,” says Mr Hiddleston.

Do you love the beach and want to see our rivers healthy? Are you creative, outgoing, details-oriented and have a knack for building great relationships? This is the job you’ve been waiting for!

Our multi-award winning charity is looking for a new team member to help manage and improve our external relationships and communications. Based out of our Auckland office, our new Partnerships and Communications Coordinator will develop our existing relationships with partners, sponsors, collaborators, volunteers and the general public, whilst growing the Sustainable Coastlines brand and celebrating our impact. Get in quick, the deadline for applications is 11pm, Sunday 9 June. Download Job Description here.

With our vision for “Inspired People, Healthy Waters and Beautiful Beaches”, we need a passionate person who loves our oceans, rivers and lakes, and cares about the communities around them.

The Partnerships and Communications Coordinator will coordinate and manage the organisation’s social media platforms, schedule weekly social media communications as well as develop content for the organisation’s e-newsletters, database mail-outs, media releases, sponsorship pitches and online presences. Experience in social media and communications is a requirement of the role.

The successful candidate will also be tasked with graphic design and reporting responsibilities, therefore experience in design and the production high-quality reports will be advantageous.

You will need to show initiative, attention to detail and have an enthusiastic interpersonal style that promotes a strong and exciting team atmosphere. We need a quick learner with a solid work ethic, and a ‘can-do’ attitude; someone who is not afraid to get their hands dirty.

If you love our oceans and waterways and want to work in an exciting, fast-paced non-profit, then we’d love to hear from you.

How to Apply

Email your CV and cover letter to Ryley Webster, General Manager, ryley@sustainablecoastlines.org by 11pm, Sunday 9 June 2019.

Do you love the beach and want to see our rivers healthy? Are you creative, outgoing, details-oriented and have a knack for building great relationships? This is the job you’ve been waiting for!

Our multi-award winning charity is looking for a new team member to help manage and improve our external relationships and communications. Based out of our Auckland office, our new Partnerships and Communications Coordinator will develop our existing relationships with partners, sponsors, collaborators, volunteers and the general public, whilst growing the Sustainable Coastlines brand and celebrating our impact. Get in quick, the deadline for applications is 11pm, Sunday 9 June. Download Job Description here.

With our vision for “Inspired People, Healthy Waters and Beautiful Beaches”, we need a passionate person who loves our oceans, rivers and lakes, and cares about the communities around them.

The Partnerships and Communications Coordinator will coordinate and manage the organisation’s social media platforms, schedule weekly social media communications as well as develop content for the organisation’s e-newsletters, database mail-outs, media releases, sponsorship pitches and online presences. Experience in social media and communications is a requirement of the role.

The successful candidate will also be tasked with graphic design and reporting responsibilities, therefore experience in design and the production high-quality reports will be advantageous.

You will need to show initiative, attention to detail and have an enthusiastic interpersonal style that promotes a strong and exciting team atmosphere. We need a quick learner with a solid work ethic, and a ‘can-do’ attitude; someone who is not afraid to get their hands dirty.

If you love our oceans and waterways and want to work in an exciting, fast-paced non-profit, then we’d love to hear from you.

How to Apply

Email your CV and cover letter to Ryley Webster, General Manager, ryley@sustainablecoastlines.org by 11pm, Sunday 9 June 2019.

Keeping our beaches clean just got easier for New Zealand non-profit organisation Sustainable Coastlines, when Microsoft President Brad Smith announced it was the recipient of an AI for Earth grant at a special beachside ceremony today.

Smith is in New Zealand to meet Government Ministers and address audiences from across the public and private sectors on privacy and security in the digital era. He took time out during the visit to meet Sustainable Coastlines co-founder Camden Howitt and development lead Dr Sandy Britain, along with project partners from the Ministry for the Environment.

At Wellington’s Lyall Bay, Smith was able to see the organisation’s litter-busting technology in action as he helped collect litter from the beach, log and categorise it in Sustainable Coastlines’ unique database. A national litter database is being established so schools, iwi (tribes), community groups and businesses can view the data and trends in their areas and work to change local behaviour, seeing which measures are the most effective in reducing rubbish long-term. The platform uses United Nations Environment Programme methodology combined with Microsoft Power BI and Azure technology to chart litter along the coast.

“This kind of initiative is exactly what our planet needs – something simple but effective that can easily be adopted at grass-roots level to make a difference, empowering every community to keep their environment clean and make the world a better place for future generations,” Smith said.

“Organisations like Sustainable Coastlines are the reason we launched the AI for Earth programme. We face a collective need for urgent action to address global climate issues. These grants give individuals and groups the tools to scale up environmental action around the world. I’m delighted to announce the success of Sustainable Coastlines’ grant application today. We look forward to seeing their initiative reducing waste on coastlines in many more countries soon.”

With the AI for Earth grant, Sustainable Coastlines will receive Azure credit, technical advice and support, training and networking opportunities.

Smith’s announcement was a well-deserved surprise for Howitt and Britain, who had only been expecting to demonstrate their innovation.

“Technology plays a critical role in ensuring that data collected by citizen scientists is recognised as credible and useable to inform decision-making worldwide,” Howitt said. “This quality assurance will help more communities engage more deeply in collecting this crucial data; monitoring the impact of their actions and creating a solution for litter that all countries can share. This grant puts us one step closer to taking this innovative program to the world.”

Since the programme’s launch in June 2017, Microsoft has awarded more than 230 AI for Earth grants to recipients in around 60 countries. AI for Earth is Microsoft’s $50 million, five-year commitment to put artificial intelligence technology in the hands of individuals and organisations around the world who are working to protect our planet across four key areas – agriculture, biodiversity, climate change and water.

About AI for Earth

AI for Earth is a $50 million, 5-year programme that brings the full advantage of Microsoft technology to those working to solve global environmental challenges in the key focus areas of climate, agriculture, water and biodiversity. Through grants that provide access to cloud and AI tools, opportunities for education and training on AI, and investments in innovative, scalable solutions, AI for Earth works to advance sustainability across the globe. Visit https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/aiforearth