Love Mount Maunganui? Here's how you can prove it

Residents can help clean up rubbish from the rocks around Mauao on March 4. Photo/File

Bay of Plenty residents can help clean up the coastline this weekend.

The Love Mauao-Keep Mauao Clean Rubbish Clean Up on Sunday, March 4, from 1pm-3.30pm aims to raised awareness of the impacts humans have on the environment.

Western Bay Wildlife Trust chair Julia Graham said unlike other clean-ups, this Sunday's event will focus on clearing rubbish from bush and rock areas rather than the main tracks and beaches around Mauao.

"After the holiday period and the recent storms, rubbish has built up around the nesting areas of our precious Little blue penguins and grey faced petrels," Graham said.

"We are also coming into the time of year when seals are very present around Mauao and Moturiki Island, and often leave their pups on land to go and hunt for food."

Morgan Schofield from Keep Mauao Clean said following a hui [meeting] organised by Envirohub, the beach clean had developed into a big event co-hosted by the region's top environmental organisations.

The joint event is run by Keep Mauao Clean, Western Bay Wildlife Trust, Keep Tauranga Beautiful, Envirohub and the Nature Library.

"We all share the same goals, to raise environmental awareness, celebrate the wonderful animals and habitats we have here and to protect them," Schofield said.

"We are working together sharing resources and knowledge to deliver this exciting and unique event."

Schofield said the event was all about having fun, bringing people together and developing a sense of pride, respect and responsibility around caring for the environment.

"We believe education is key," she said. "Between us there's not much we don't know about what animals we have living here, how our ecosystems are being threatened and what we can do on an individual level to protect them."

There will be environmental scientists, wildlife conservationists, waste minimisation experts and marine biologists on hand to talk to all the volunteers at the event.

Volunteers will also have the chance to see firsthand how much litter there is in the area and learn about the devastating consequences of it on the environment.

There will be prizes up for grabs as well as nature stories for the children from Nature Library.

Volunteers are encouraged to bring suitable footwear, sunscreen and a drink to stay hydrated.

Buckets, gloves, and hand sanitiser will be supplied and volunteers will be separating all recyclables from the general rubbish.