Para Kore – reducing waste at events

Whether it’s the Wakatū annual general meeting, a wine festival or a trade show, Meg Malcolm, Events and Partnerships Manager, is focused on delivering events where plastic and food waste is reduced or eliminated.

‘Whenua Ora, our programme to be good kaitiaki of the resources we look after, isn’t just about what we are doing on the orchards and vineyards, but it is how we demonstrate that commitment right across the organisation. The goal of Wakatū being zero waste by 2028 is a challenging one in the event space – but it’s a challenge we’re happy to take on,’ Meg says.

Meg has appreciated advice from Jacqui Forbes and Para Kore, particularly on how to reduce waste at the annual and special general meetings.

‘Through Jacqui we’ve learnt that it is not just about recycling but also looking for ways to refuse, reduce, re-purpose or reuse. We’re learning that single use items are harmful, in that they are created from natural resources from Papatūānuku, used once and then thrown away into a toxic landfill. Anything that is only used once, we are looking to design out, and instead use things that can be reused again and again.

One of the approaches we’ve taken in reducing waste at our events is to simplify. We no longer put pens, pads or individually wrapped sweets on the tables at our meetings. We used to provide water in plastic bottles. Now if we are providing water on tables, we use glass jugs and glasses.’

Meg says that it helps that other events and businesses are becoming more environmentally conscious.

‘We aim to work with suppliers, venues and events that share our zero-waste ethos. It’s great that there are now more environmentally friendly options for a range of products, like compostable plates made from potato starch, or bio cups that can be used instead of plastic wine glasses. Reducing food waste at events is another big issue for us. Most of our events for Wakatū whānau involve kai. To help reduce food waste, we work hard to get the quantity of food right, and we try and find venues that allow whānau to take away food with them, if there is any leftover food. It’s frustrating that some venues still don’t allow this.’

If you are coming along to a Wakatū AGM or SGM, Meg says to help reduce waste, bring your own pens, water bottles and keep-cups – and, of course, take them away with you at the end of the event. And, if you generate

Meg Malcolm

any rubbish, put it in the right recycling or waste station. According to Meg, going for the sustainable option can take more planning and time, but it’s worth it. ‘We know the Wakatū whānau have high expectations of us, and it’s our challenge to demonstrate our commitment to zero waste at every opportunity. We learn something new about reducing waste every time we run an event, and we take that knowledge into improving the next one. Sometimes it can seem like small steps, but we know that small changes all add up to make a big difference. So it’s still a work in progress.’