In August 2017 we interviewed Rick Brown, the Business Manager of Seagull Centre in Thames. The Seagull Centre is a much-loved resource recovery shop that has been operating since 2004, encouraging the community of Thames to bring in unwanted items from households, businesses, farms and workshops, rather than dumping […]

  Nicky Francis is the person behind Do Gooder, a business selling eco-friendly toothbrushes and floss. Not only that, but for every ecobrush toothbrush you buy, another is donated to a child in New Zealand that does not have a toothbrush. We thought this was […]

  On Hastings Street in Napier, you’ll find Hapī – a takeaway bar co-founded by Gretta Carney and Fleur Du Fresne, serving healthy, creative food made from ingredients bursting with integrity. In August 2017, we sat down with Gretta, after whisking her away from the […]

Franziska von Hunerbein is responsible for bringing the magical Crop Swap to Aotearoa. Since the first crop swap gathering that she launched at her own home in Taranaki, there are now over 10 crop swaps across the Taranaki region alone, and the movement is gaining […]

  GoodFor Wholefoods Refillery opened its doors in Auckland at the beginning of 2017, making it New Zealand’s first totally packaging-free store. GoodFor follows in the footsteps of a growing international phenomenon of zero waste stores that offer their customers life’s essential items without the […]

  On the eastern coast of Coromandel, in a town called Whangamatā, Carrie and Jay have opened Inspire Wellness – a yoga studio, an organic shop and organic cafe – an exquisite place to nourish oneself and to simply be. We were drawn to their […]

  Phil McCabe is the co-founder and chief executive of Solscape, an eco-accommodation in Raglan featuring unique, alternative buildings, yoga, clean eating, surf instruction and organically grown produce, nestled atop a hill overlooking the stunning curve of Ngarunui beach. Until recently, Phil was also the […]

  Back in July 2017, The Rubbish Trip interviewed Robert Scott of Reclaimed Timber Traders, an incredible organisation in Palmerston North that rescues timber that would otherwise be sent to landfill, resurrects it, and gives it a new life (they will even make specific items to […]

  In 2006 the Waste Minimisation (Solids) Bill, a private member’s bill in the name of Nándor Tánczos, was pulled from the ballot in the New Zealand House of Parliament. After an extended period going through Select Committee and the various readings in the House, […]

  The Kiwi Bottle Drive is a national campaign calling for 10c bottle deposits in Aotearoa New Zealand in order to reduce littering and lift recycling rates. In Matamata, the local Transition Town has embraced The Kiwi Bottle Drive with resounding success, spearheaded by their president […]