08 March 2007
Press release
For immediate use

Keep New Zealand Beautiful pushes Pasifika pride

Keep New Zealand Beautiful is going all out over the next few days to push Pacific pride into its campaign to encourage a clean, green New Zealand. It's sponsoring "Beautiful Villages", a competition between the 10 villages at Pasifika Festival, starting at Auckland's Western Springs park and stadium tomorrow.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful (KNZB) is so keen to use the festival to persuade others to its cause that it's put up a trophy and $1,000 prize money for the most beautiful village.

"We need to get our message of a clean and green place in the South Pacific out to wherever people gather," says KNZB chairman, Hon Roger McClay, "It's usually us looking for sponsors but this Pacifika festival is big, breezy and bright, just like our message and we felt we needed to be here."

Mr McClay says Auckland Mayor, Dick Hubbard is a member, "And I wouldn't be surprised if a lot more Aucklanders see the good sense of his membership and join us after this festival.".

Entry into the Beautiful Villages competition is automatic to the participating groups and a combination of a popular vote and three judges will select the winner. The judges come from: Keep New Zealand Beautiful, Auckland City Council and an independent.

Judging criteria include decoration, litter control, hospitality, presentation and care of the park.

Mr McClay says the winning village will be the one with the most points when each judge's scores and the public vote are tallied. Prize money is to be used for the greater good of the communities involved in the village. Mr McClay says this may involve saving the money to pay for something extra for the village at the festival the following year.

Pasifika Festival takes place in March every year. It is the South Pacific's largest Pacific islands community event.

ENDS

Website: www.knzb.org.nz

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