Remember 'Be a tidy Kiwi'? Keep NZ Beautiful is back in campaign-mode

Keep New Zealand Beautiful's new anti-litter campaign will be fronted by a mascot dubbed Mama Nature, reviving the sentiments of the group's old campaigns. Photo / Supplied

Another slice of yesteryear New Zealand been revived - but, unlike Georgie Pie or the Edmonds Cookery Book, it's not a comeback we should be happy about.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful - forever a part of Kiwiana with its retro rainbow logo - has launched its first anti-litter campaign since the 1990s.

The 50-year-old group, best known for its "Be a Tidy Kiwi" and "Do the Right Thing" campaigns, was prompted to re-emerge with another after its volunteers collected enough rubbish to fill 120 rugby fields.

The amount of waste collected in just a week was enough to reach half a metre in height.

As part of its campaign launch, KNZB has also shared the findings of new research showing the top items littered in public places by New Zealanders, with the main culprit being cigarette butts, making 78 per cent, and takeaway packaging, making up 5 per cent.

While it found nearly all Kiwis think it's important for New Zealand to maintain its clean, green image, nearly half littered within just five metres of their nearest bin.

According to the data, the average distance New Zealanders are prepared to walk to a bin to dispose their rubbish is only 8.4 metres, with littering rising dramatically beyond this distance.

The study was conducted by Sunshine Yates Consulting over 32 days with
researchers observing 765 people and their littering behaviour.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful - forever a part of Kiwiana with its iconic rainbow logo - has launched its first anti-litter campaign since the 1990s. Photo / Supplied

The new campaign will be fronted by a mascot dubbed Mama Nature, who KNZB said revived the sentiments of its old campaigns.

Chief executive Heather Saunderson said the next steps included working with government agencies on a national "litter audit" that would look at rubbish left in places like motorways, streets, rest stops and beaches.