Te Arawa marae going zero waste with Para Kore programme

Davina Thompson is Te Arawa's newly appointed waste adviser. Photo/Supplied

The Para Kore Marae programme is coming to the Te Arawa Maori community to help tackle waste.

Newly appointed waste adviser Davina Thompson said she was very excited to bring the programme to Rotorua.

Ms Thompson, who lives in Kawerau, is in her final year of study toward a Bachelor of Humanities (Te Tohu Toi Tangata), majoring in Indigenous Policies and Development at Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi.

"I feel honoured to be on the Para Kore waka, delivering a dynamic kaupapa of looking after the natural environment to our whanau of Te Arawa and Ngati Awa," she said.

"Over 200 marae and Maori community organisations across Aotearoa have already implemented the Para Kore programme. Through recycling and composting, marae can reduce their waste significantly."

Para Kore means Zero Waste. Zero Waste is a policy that aims to end the current take, make, and dispose mentality of society.

The Para Kore programme works with marae to increase the reuse, recycling and composting of materials thereby helping to reduce the extraction of natural resources and raw materials from Papatuanuku (Mother Earth).

"Our goal is that by 2020 all marae, kohanga reo, kura, and Maori organisations of Te Arawa are working towards Zero Waste," Miss Thompson said.

"It's a changing of behaviours and reversing of habits that have been created of everything coming in packaging and that being thrown away. Being conscious of the waste."

Miss Thompson said Te Arawa had always been at the leading edge of change and she was looking forward to what that would bring to the kaupapa.

Healthy Families Rotorua has come on board with the project to connect Para Kore with local marae. Manager Mapiha Raharuhi said it was a community-led solution to creating a healthy family environment.

"It's about bringing back traditional practices that promote healthy whanau, homes and community," she said.

"It's a great opportunity and hopefully we can mobilise the community into a healthier way of interacting with the environment."

This project is being funded by the Rotorua Lakes Council and the Waste Minimisation Fund, which is administered by the Ministry for the Environment.