Phoebe Driscoll, who grew up in Havelock North, has helped collect more than $11,000 in sustainable period products for 573 girls, diverting 1.2 million products from landfill. Photo / Rafaella Melo
Phoebe Driscoll, who grew up in Havelock North, has helped collect more than $11,000 in sustainable period products for 573 girls, diverting 1.2 million products from landfill. Photo / Rafaella Melo
Schoolgirls are missing classes and avoiding sports simply because they don’t feel comfortable about menstruation.
At the same time, millions of single-use period products end up in landfills every year, causing a significant environmental cost.
Teenager Phoebe Driscoll understands all of that.
The 18-year-old has helped collect more than$11,000 worth of sustainable period care products to support 573 girls across New Zealand and divert an estimated 1.2 million products from landfill.
Co-founder of the non-profit organisation Hello.Friend, and head girl at King’s College in Auckland, Phoebe grew up in Havelock North and chose Flaxmere College as one of the campaign’s first recipients.
The initiative aims to remove the stigma around menstruation and provide access to free, reusable period products.
“I grew up and I’ve lived in Hawke’s Bay my whole life and I thought it was really important to give back first to the region that I grew up in,” Driscoll told Hawke’s Bay Today.
“That was an education session ... And we’re also donating 150 pads for all the girls as well as a couple of discs.”
Flaxmere schoolteacher Imogen Hay said the initiative empowers students.
“This presentation on reusable period products offered a small group of our Year 12 and 13 students an important opportunity to engage with issues around environmental responsibility, health and breaking down stigma surrounding period products.”
Phoebe Driscoll talks to Year 12 and 13 students at Flaxmere College.
The campaign officially launches on June 2 with workshops in 15 schools across New Zealand, including three in Hawke’s Bay: Iona, Woodford, and Napier Girls’ High School.
“We’re on a mission to reduce period poverty in New Zealand, specifically for 2025 by 5%,” Driscoll said.
“Around 100,000 girls experience period poverty across New Zealand and either don’t come to school or don’t participate in sport because of it.”
She said the campaign will save students more than $500,000 collectively.
Two period care packages are available for purchase as part of fundraising for the project, with sales open until June 8 via the Hello.Friend website.
The Disc-O-Party Pack and Sunrise to Sunset Pack include items such as a Hello disc, Hello underwear, Hello pad and accessories priced at $75.
Two period care packages are available for purchase as part of fundraising for the campaign, with sales open until June 8 via the Hello.Friend website. Photo / Rafaella Melo
The campaign is backed by Hello Period, a New Zealand-based, sustainable period care company.
“They’re an incredible team who supply all of our products and also provide mentorship and support on the educational aspect of our work,” Driscoll said.
Her mother Bettina Driscoll said she is proud of her daughter and the other girls involved in the project.
“They are so passionate about wanting to help make every girl’s life so much better ... [It’s] a game changer in helping to eradicate period poverty in NZ.”
