​Auckland marae reduce waste by 34 tonnes in three months

A traditional approach to a contemporary issue has seen Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei lead the way in reducing waste on marae across Auckland.

The Para Kore or Zero Waste programme, dedicated to minimising waste, started in Auckland out of Ōrākei Marae three years ago.

The initiative has been building in momentum since - so much so, the marae, together with 13 others in Auckland, have collectively reduced their waste by 34 tonnes in the past three months.

This has been achieved mainly by having clearly labelled bins, cutting back on the amount of unrecyclable plastic, and composting food scraps to use for fertiliser on the marae gardens.

Its success was celebrated at a hui last Wednesday by local iwi, Auckland Council representatives and members of the Manukau Beautification Trust who have financially supported the project.

Te Aroha Morehu in the paepae of Ōrākei Marae. Photo: John-Michael Swannix

Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei Ahikāroa general manager, Te Aroha Morehu, said much of what’s being done is applying ancient knowledge to solve today's problems with a long-term vision.

“We need to create a thousand-year plan, a liveable one, and we need to start now.”

Para Kore waste advisor for Auckland, Eruini Hawke told Te Waha Nui progress can be slow, as they’re trying to break centuries of bad habits.

“It takes time, it takes dedication to walk with [people] on that journey.”

Mr Hawke added the way to begin was by taking small steps such as using starch based, compostable plates and cutlery.

“The plates and drinking vessels, these are resources we can compost and feed back into our garden. Then we plant vegetables which feed off that compost and we feed off those vegetables.”

Auckland Council waste planning manager, Parul Sood, said Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei had been particularly “brilliant” at leading by example.

“It’s kind of caught on like fire. We’ve got so many marae that are participating in it, and you can see the passion in the people and it then ripples on to others as well.”

Ms Sood added the strength of the project came from other people being inspired and bringing what they learnt back to their whānau.

“We’ll support this project as long as it needs it, so it doesn’t fall back.”