Hannah is a zero waste practitioner and researcher with a focus on source reduction strategies to the waste crisis, including waste prevention and reuse. Alongside her partner Liam, Hannah has lived without a rubbish bin since 2015 and undertakes zero waste advocacy, research and workshops on household waste reduction through their shared project The Rubbish Trip. 

Hannah is also the Founding Director & Lead Researcher at Reuse Aotearoa, and an Engagement and Research Associate in Sustainability at Te Herenga Waka - Victoria University of Wellington. 

Contact Hannah - hannah@therubbishtrip.co.nz / research@reuseaotearoa.org.nz 

Expertise: Zero Waste Theory and Practice, Reuse and Repair, Circular Economy

Helena is an environmental scientist based in Ōtautahi Christchurch. She has completed Masters and PhD research on the sources and impacts of microplastics to the environment in Aotearoa, with a focus on biowastes from wastewater treatment plants and composting facilities. 

Helena is a keen zero waster and serves on the APPA committee as a Trustee and Secretary. 

LinkedIn | Research 

Expertise: Microplastics, environmental contaminants, biowastes, science communication, waste minimisation & education

Heni Unwin (Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngāti Kahungunu ki Wairoa, Rongomaiwahine, Ngāi Tūhoe, Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi) is the Pou Turuturu/Director at FOMA Innovation, and a Kairangahau/Marine Scientist at Cawthron Institute.

Heni is a connector, a connector of worlds, a connector of oceans and a connector of people. Her work is driven by those things that enrich and sustain her life, her awa, moana, maunga, ngahere and whānau. Holding tohu in Te Reo Māori, Chemistry, Marine Science and Environmental Science she interweaves different knowledge systems into her work to achieve equitable outcomes for our future.

LinkedIn | Plastics: The New and Final Colonizer article | Ocean Plastic Simulator 

Expertise: Microplastics research, Mātauranga Māori, emerging contaminants, aquaculture technologies, science communication 

Based in Whāingaroa Raglan, Jemma is passionate about reuse systems and preventing plastic pollution. She has worked in various resource recovery, waste monitoring and education roles and is currently the Waste Prevention Coordinator at Waikato Regional Council. 

Expertise: Resource recovery, coastal litter composition and flux

Karin is an oceans biogeochemical modeller with an expertise in climate-ecosystem feedbacks and microplastics fate and transport. She runs a private research consultancy, Aotearoa Blue Ocean Research, and hosts students as an adjunct at Victoria University Wellington. 

She is co-chair of the Scientific Committee on Ocean Research Working Group 174 Small Plastics in the Ocean’s Interior: coherent Analysis and Synthesis for better Scrutiny (SPASS) that is addressing data harmonisation in ocean microplastics research. She is also developing an aquatic litter monitoring framework as part of the EU-funded CLEARWATER consortium for European marginal seas. 

Beyond plastic research, Karin is a Lead Author for the 2027 IPCC Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies, Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. She serves on the Scientific Steering Committee of the Surface Ocean-Lower Atmosphere Study (SOLAS) network, where she is organising the SOLAS open science conference to be held in Wellington in 2027.

Expertise: Ocean microplastics fate, transport, and impacts

LinkedIn | Website | Research

Liam is a composter, zero waste practitioner, researcher and advocate. Alongside his partner Hannah, Liam has lived without a rubbish bin for almost a decade and together they co-founded The Rubbish Trip. Liam is the Composting Operations Manager at Kaicycle in Te Whanganui a Tara, a co-founder of Aotearoa Composters Network and has previously done research and advocacy work with Zero Waste Aotearoa.

A founding member of APPA, Liam currently sits on the committee as a Trustee and Treasurer.

Expertise: Zero Waste Education & Advocacy, Science Communication, Composting, Drums

LinkedIn

Lydia is a Malaysian lawyer currently based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Lydia is a passionate environmental and human rights advocate as well as a trained artist. She also sits on the APPA committee as a Trustee and Advocacy Lead.

Expertise: Environmental Law, Justice, Advocacy 

LinkedIn 

Maria is a GP/family physician with significant concerns about the impact of pollution and climate change on our health. Maria is passionate about finding ways to improve our ecological footprint while providing high quality medical care. 

Expertise: Health impacts of pollution and climate change

LinkedIn

Megan is a communications specialist with 20+ years in the not-for-profit sector. An environment advocate, she has worked for large environmental groups on both sides of the Tasman. Megan is a qualified spiritual companion/director who helps people live authentically and with purpose.

Expertise: Behaviour change, storytelling, communication, events, education, art. 

LinkedIn

Remix Plastic recycles plastic into beautiful, unique products. With local waste they create products inspired by native plants and animals that have a sustainable story. This diverts waste from landfill and provides a way to engage people in a conversation around reducing single use plastic. They embed concepts like kaitiakitanga and circular economy into works.

As well as selling recycled products Remix Plastic has some awesome free resources on their website such as a map of second hand shops in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Their vision is to foster sustainable behaviour and a circular economy.

Website | About Us | Contact

Plastic Pollution Coalition is a non-profit communications and advocacy organization that collaborates with an expansive global alliance of organizations, businesses, and individuals to create a more just, equitable, regenerative world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts.

Plastic Pollution Coalition was founded in 2009 by a small group of artists, activists, scientists, and leaders to dispel myths and euphemisms such as “marine debris” and “litter” and instead, call it what it is: plastic pollution. The group pledged to raise awareness about the growing plastic pollution crisis and highlight solutions.

Their website showcases resources, latest news, solutions and webinars to inform and educate about plastic pollution. They also run a range of projects such as Flip the Script on Plastics which is an initiative to help the entertainment industry model real solutions to the plastic pollution crisis, both on set and in storylines.

Website

The Last Plastic Straw is a Plastic Pollution Coalition project that is meaningfully shifting the way individuals and businesses think about plastic pollution—and about our society’s disposable culture—on a larger scale.

The Last Plastic Straw, provides tools to empower people to encourage eateries to stop using plastic straws and other single-use plastic items; educate individuals to refuse single-use plastics and spread the “plastic-free” message. They provide valuable resources for businesses and schools, as well as practical actions that anyone can take to reduce plastic straw use. 

Website