Miss Guyton does good

(Reproduced verbatim from today's Southland Times)

An Aparima College student is setting out to make Riverton the first Fairtrade Town in New Zealand, a goal which is impressing national organisers.
College student Hollie Guyton, 17, said it was a goal that could easily be achieved by year end. She had set up a meeting with the Southland District Council and hoped it could help. Riverton was a community with many farmers, who agreed it was important to help farmers overseas get paid a fair price, she said.
She set up a committee to transform her school and Riverton into Fairtrade places. The committee of about 17 students took their cause into the wider Riverton community, who have embraced the idea.
"We have been campaigning around the town and businesses have been receptive," Miss Guyton said.
Five businesses were on board and the committee aimed to turn all workplaces to Riverton Fairtrade before the end of the year.
To be Fairtrade certified businesses would have to promote Fairtrade and use its products.
Aparima College Fairtrade committee member Jacob Brown said he explained to businesses that Fairtrade helped everyone involved with the products.
"The worker and farmer in developing countries get paid real wages and can feed their families and lift their lives out of poverty," he said. Miss Guyton and her committee now plan to convince other areas in Southland to take part.
They also plan to work with Invercargill schools to achieve Fairtrade City status for the city. Fairtrade New Zealand marketing and communications officer Angus Coull said New Zealand had three Fairtrade cities: Dunedin, Wellington and Auckland but no small towns as yet.
"Riverton is doing an awesome job for its small size. It really stands out because it has achieved a lot and I commend the school pupils for implementing and recommending Fairtrade," he said.
If Riverton achieved town status, it would be the most southern Fairtrade Town in the world.


COLLETTE DEVLIN


- © Fairfax NZ News