The Coromandel's Tiaki Promise
Sustainable Tourism is about ensuring our environment is positively impacted by all those who come to enjoy it. In The Coromandel, the Tiaki Promise is vital. It is our shared intention to act as a guardian, protecting and preserving our beautiful home. Tiaki means to care for people and place. Whether we live here or visit, we can all decide to make the Tiaki Promise. By doing so, not only are we caring for and enjoying our home today, we are ensuring our children - and their children’s children - will one day also be able to get that good for your soul experience we know and love so much on The Coromandel.
One of the ways we show our commitment to the Tiaki promise is through Pick it up Now. A grassroots culture change initiative, Pick it up Now encourages everyone to pick up rubbish wherever they are in The Coromandel; at the beach, out fishing, by the roadside. Pick it up Now is one of The Coromandel’s most practical opportunities to keep the Tiaki promise. It is simple yet effective and anyone can do it. When we all show respect, protect nature and keep NZ clean by making a conscious effort to pick up litter, our environment benefits and so do we.
The Tiaki Promise invites us to care for land, sea and nature, treading lightly and leaving no trace. Yet litter that has escaped the waste management stream does leave a trace. It negatively impacts the pristine environment of The Coromandel, polluting the moana and natural landscapes that attract so many visitors for their untouched beauty.
Jo Sanderson, is the founding member spearheading the Pick it up Now project, which started in The Coromandel. In addition to picking up litter whenever you see it, Jo and her team are inspiring many ways we can reduce waste. These include making better and more informed choices when we consume, and promoting a message of re-using what can be re-used, and refusing what can’t be.
Picking up litter can even be a fun social activity! Pick It Up Now suggests ‘plogging’ or ‘plawking’ as something you can do with friends on a regular basis. Picking up litter while jogging (Plog) or walking (Plawk) is a great way to get fit with friends and family and do your bit to keep the Tiaki Promise at the same time. There are plenty of other great ideas for good for your soul ways to care for The Coromandel on the Pick it up Now website.
It is up to all of us to be guardians of The Coromandel. As your regional tourism organisation, we are pledging our commitment to New Zealand by following the Tiaki Promise through practising and supporting initiatives such as Pick it up Now. Together we can create a truly sustainable tourism industry that makes a positive and enduring contribution to The Coromandel and ultimately Aotearoa New Zealand. Will you take the Tiaki Promise with us?
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