Page 6 - 1981 News Clippings
P. 6
Dale Timm’s National Award
New Zealand…..Aotearoa…..The Land drops his litter to the ground.
of the Long White Cloud ….. Godzone ….. Then there is the thinker. That’s the type
Whatever you wish to call it! That’s where we of person who reads the message on the side
live. A sub-tropical paradise inhabited by of the package - “Do Not Litter” - thinks
people who will unite, and rally together to “Hmmm, that’s not a bad idea.” as he chucks
voice their disapproval of major pollution it over his shoulder.
such as huge factories, as well as deodorants, There are amongst us contentious
ruining our skies. individuals who take those free litter bags, fill
We are people who will pounce them up to capacity, then heave them out of
unmercifully on nuclear power and the the car window!
inadequate and deadly disposal of it’s waste How then do we cope with the litter that
products. is threatening to turn God’s Zone into God’s
People who will form picket lines and Litter Zone?
protest groups when gold mining threatens to What are we, the people, doing?
erode and undermine the environment - the New Zealander’s lethargic response to
country-side of Thames, for instance. litter is the main reason for our present
YES! We have all these admiral attributes predicament.
to our credit ….. but when it comes to Educating people would seem to be the
pollution on our doorstep, namely litter, New answer. The New Zealand Litter Council
Zealanders have one of the most appalling and attempted this with some posters and very
apathetic attitudes in the world! placid television ad’s - “Only Lazy People
Perhaps this is a bit too strong. As N.Z. Litter”, and whose most fearsome statement
is a relatively litter-free country, mind you, we is “New Zealand is too lovely to litter”.
only have a population of under 3,000,000. NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
What would happen if our population were What we need is something stronger to
30,000,000? bring home the message, because it would
Would we decline into a state similar to seem society has programmed us so that we
that of India, Egypt and Jamaica where the will only react to punishment, violence and
litter problem is so bad that if the breeze shock treatment!
comes up so too does a torrent of trash? Now, if those three concepts were
With the innovation of confectionary incorporated into the media (television, for
lines, such as Twisties, Rashuns, Pinkies, instance) New Zealanders would raise their
individually wrapped Twinkies, Freedent Gum heads and the obnoxious head of litter would
that won’t stick to my dentures (but makes a be decapitated.
hell of a mess when I sit on it) the N.Z. litter How about implementing this idea on
problem has erupted into a destructive menace T.V. ?
to our society. The portrayal of the agony, the decay, the
When going on a trip in N.Z. you don’t horror of a human struck down by typhoid -
need a map to find the local dairy - all you typhoid caused by the utter filth of litter.
have to do if follow the local litter-line. Or an advertisement depicting the
Empty packets of Chips and Twisties amputation of an arm or a leg bone sceptic by
signify that the shop is 10 minutes away. a cut from broken glass - the fatal injury
Ice-block sticks, empty Yoghurt sustained from rusting metal.
containers - 5 minutes. This kind of treatment proved effective in
Pie wrappers, paper bags - 1 minute. the Nilverm ad’ - you know the one - With
And an empty rubbish bin lets you know the worm-riddled sheep that always came on
you’ve arrived! at dinner-time! If it worked for Nilverm it
So, what type of people litter? must work for the Litter Council!
First of all there is the straight-out, no Mind you - there might be those who
mucking around, litter-bug who instinctively would ignore even this, namely the most
