For our community, Wānaka is more than just a location. It is our home, our playground, our safe place, and our cup-filler. With the environment taking such a meaningful role in local’s lives, it’s no surprise that an organisation like Plastic Free Wānaka has taken root.
One clear area of impact is the reduction of takeaway cups being used in our community. While many of these are marketed as biodegradable or compostable, we don’t have the facilities to break them down – meaning they still end up in the landfill.
Through Plastic Free Wānaka, twenty-nine cafes and caravans in Wānaka have now implemented cup-lending schemes or mug libraries and 10 are completely SUCfree. Together these efforts save an estimated 800,000 takeaway cups from landfill annually.
Building on this momentum, the Love Wānaka funding is enabling an ambitious next phase of work. In May, Plastic Free Wānaka will host Aotearoa’s first-ever SUCfree National Hui, bringing together more than 40 attendees including local initiatives, councils, and changemakers from across the country. This milestone event marks the first time a gathering in New Zealand has been solely dedicated to tackling single-use cups.
At the same time, a new SUCfree Workplaces initiative is set to begin trials. This programme aims to normalise reuse culture in professional environments through a SUCfree accreditation scheme, supporting businesses to lead by example and embed lasting change in their day-to-day operations.
Alongside these initiatives, funding has also supported the development of a SUCfree visitor campaign, created in partnership with Love Wānaka and Lake Wānaka Tourism. Designed for rollout in the near future, the campaign will inspire and educate visitors to make reuse part of their Wānaka experience – especially during peak seasons when the town swells with people drawn to our natural playground.
Local businesses, accommodation providers, and tourism operators will be equipped with downloadable resources, posters, and guest communication templates, making it easy to encourage visitors to choose reuse. Beyond the campaign, the funding has also enabled the expansion of mug libraries, new signage, digital resources, and the creation of a certification programme to help workplaces and events transition to being SUCfree.
“We are incredibly grateful to be a recipient of a Love Wanaka Impact Grant. This has allowed us to scale up our efforts, including developing a workplace accreditation scheme, rolling out visitor-facing comms, and hosting Aotearoa’s first national SUCFree hui.” – Sophie Ward, Board Director
As they look to the future, Plastic Free Wānaka is set to continue growing the number of SUCfree businesses in our rohe (region). They have bold goals of making Wānaka the first single-use-cup-free town in Aotearoa, a move that would set a national benchmark for community-driven change.
This is a great reminder that while these efforts are big on their own, the ripple effect continues to be even bigger. Each initiative contributes to a wider ripple effect, empowering visitors, businesses, and locals alike to be part of a zero-waste future. Because for Plastic Free Wānaka, the goal isn’t just behaviour change, it’s culture change.
Want to help further Plastic Free Wānaka’s mission? Their impact is powered by people, with lots of ways you can get involved.
Attend a workshop, choose to shop from eateries and cafes that are SUCfree, or support their work by donating to the cause.
Alternatively, you can support local organisations and initiatives that give back to this spectacular place we call home by making a donation to Love Wanaka, or becoming a Love Wanaka Impact Partner, where 100% of your donations goes to projects just like this across the Upper Clutha.
