Queen's Birthday honours: Bruce Trask shows real passion

Bruce Arthur Trask - Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit

Queens Birthday Honours List

There is nothing half-hearted about Bruce Trask when it comes to passion for his community.

The well-known zero waste and recycling educator and pioneering sports figure has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to the environment and sport.

A humble Mr Trask, 70, said: "When I got the letter I was bit blown away. It was very unexpected.

"It's certainly a huge honour to be recognised in this way."

Although Mr Trask says he's a bit disappointed his partner Iris Thomas "did not get one too".

Ms Thomas, a cycle safety advocate and event organiser has also been at the heart of many flagship sports and fundraising events in Tauranga in the past 25 years.

After a teaching career that spanned 24 years, including holding three principal positions, Mr Trask established the Bay of Plenty Sports Foundation, now Sport Bay of Plenty, in 1988, becoming its first chief executive.

He established the Community Sport Trust, through which he organised a number of recreational and competitive sporting events, some of which continue to run 25 years on - including the iconic Port of Tauranga Half Marathon.

In 1993, after retiring as chief executive with Sport Bay of Plenty, Mr Trask won a position to develop a Zero Waste Education programme for Tauranga City Council, which was first taught in 1994.

The programme continues to be taught today in more than 500 schools and across 21 local authorities around New Zealand. In 2011 Mr Trask arranged for the resource materials to be translated into te reo.

The huge success of this programme led to the establishment of the Environmental Education for Resource Sustainability Trust in 2000, which he co-founded and chaired for 13 years.

He promoted the Trust's Paper4trees recycling programme in schools, which rewards paper and cardboard recycling with native plants.

Mr Trask also established Water4schools to encourage schools to collect rainwater for grey water use, irrigation or ablution blocks.

The Trust has been the recipient of several environmental and sustainability awards.

In 2000 Mr Trask, along with Ms Thomas, was awarded a Round Table Community Award and in 2003 the couple received a Tauranga City Council Community Spirit Award.

Mr Trask said his community involvement had its own rewards.

"I get a real buzz when I meet kids I taught six to seven years ago and they tell me they remember what I taught them and have put those lessons into practice," he said.

"I just enjoy helping people, whether it's encouraging them to participate in sports, or educating people about how we can take better care of the environment."

Mr Trask said what continued to drive him was thinking about the sort of environment he and his partner's 20 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren and future generations would have.

"I think if people just took a little more care it would make a big difference," he said.