Cook Islands Sun Magazine

10 ISLAND LIFE
CoOK ISLANDS SuN
The last straw
TOURISM IS BOOMING AND FOR THE COOK
ISLANDS THAT MEANS ADDITIONAL STRESS ON
OUR PRISTINE ENVIRONMENT AND ECOSYSTEMS,
SO WE HAD A CHAT WITH COOK ISLANDS’ LARGEST
CORPORATION AND THE BIGGEST EMPLOYER
OUTSIDE GOVERNMENT, CITC (COOK ISLANDS
TRADING CORPORATION), TO FIND OUT WHAT
THEY ARE DOING TO HELP RELIEF THE PRESSURE
ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND TO SUSTAIN THE COOK
ISLANDS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
CITC is
everywhere
in Rarotonga;
they import, distribute,
wholesale and retail a
vast range of products
from building materials,
food and beverages,
to pharmaceuticals,
clothing, electrical
goods and furniture.
Most of CITC’s revenue
is derived from tourism,
or tourism-related
businesses.
Gaye Whitta is
the energetic chief
executive officer of the
corporation, which
includes a department
store - CITC Avarua, CITC
Pharmacy, the CITC Building
Centre, CITC Liquor, CITC
Supermarket, Foodland,
and three convenience stores
around Rarotonga: Oasis
Energy, Kavera Central and
KAPS Matavera; in addition
to CITC Duty Free at the
airport.
Notably CITC are proud
of their ‘Environment
Sustainability Policy’ and their
staunch commitment to the
future of the Cook Islands.
We asked Gaye what the
connection was between being
the biggest corporation in
Rarotonga and conceiving an
environmental sustainability
policy.
Gaye explained there were not
enough government guidelines
or importation legislation
at the moment, suggesting
CITC could do ‘pretty well
want it wanted’ as there’s really
nothing to stop them.
Panorama of CITC Avarua
Gaye Whiita, General Manager of CITC
“There's no law that bans
polystyrene; there's no law that
bans phosphate soap powders,
there is nothing there! As a
company, we had to look at the
sustainability of the country
because that's our income,”
said Gaye.
“When former New Zealand
prime minister Helen Clark
spoke to business leaders here
earlier this year, she pointed
out that you can't rely on
government to do everything.
We know that the government
is always going to be on the
back foot. It always takes too
long for them to make any
change, so what little we can
do, hopefully will make a big
change to the future”.
CITC are the biggest in just
about every business area
they operate, but they are not
without competition.
“In all of our areas we have
strong competition, but we
are usually leading the way in
most of those areas. I think
where people see us as being
the biggest, and a bit of a
monopoly, we're not, we've got
lots of competition within all
areas of our business”.
Certainly, one of the
areas of differentiation
is CITC’s Environment
Sustainability Policy,
part of which states: As
a business leader, we
will take initiatives to
guide our community in
environmental protection.
We will work with
Government and Non-
Government organisations
and community interests
to determine and promote
specific initiatives to
protect and enhance our
environment…
Gaye said the key to
their Environment
Sustainability Policy is training
CITC staff and getting them
aboard with the company’s
programs and initiatives.
“Part of the induction for
new employees includes
environmental training; they
learn about recycling and
waste management, and all
things green. It comes down to
education!”
“Education about caring for
the environment in Rarotonga
really starts in the schools.
That's why we started a
campaign through the primary
schools with a bin project,
donating a new recycling
station.
“The schools and the teachers
wanted to be involved with it.
So whenever we introduced
a bin system, George George
(CITC’s key brands manager)
would go out and talk to
the students about sorting,
and how it can save on the
environment.”
Significantly for CITC the
program was funded from the
proceeds of the sale of plastic
bags in CITC’s retail outlets.
CITC also drive an initiative
involving discarded cardboard
centred at Foodland in
downtown Avarua.
“Anybody can drop off their
cardboard to Foodland. We
compact it and separate it into
colored and non-colored. The
ones that are colored get bailed
and sent overseas at our cost.
A New Zealand company
reuses the cardboard. Local
farmers use the non-coloured
cardboard, which contains no
chemicals, for composting in
taro patches for example”.
CITC are a big importer of
fruits and vegetables; their
preference is to bring in as
much of that produce in
cardboard.
“Where we can, we just buy
local; it’s better because it's
fresher. We do bring in some
produce in polystyrene
containers to reduce
the damage to the
likes of broccoli and
cauliflower. But then
we re-use all of that.
We also encourage
people to reuse the
polystyrene if they are
going back overseas;
if they buy their fish
they can transport it in
polystyrene. That also
applies to chestnuts or
any local produce”.
CITC Pharmacy
under the leadership
of manager Shannon
Saunders, who has since
returned to New Zealand,
has steered the pharmacy
in support of CITC’s
environmental sustainability
policy, particularly in the
quest to reduce the amount of
chemicals entering lagoons and
landfill.
Shannon said CITC Pharmacy
opt for natural product
options in every section of the
pharmacy.
“People today want less
chemicals going into their own
bodies. But as far as chemicals
going into the lagoon, in
particular, the Ministry of
Marine Resources approached
us to ask if we would consider
going Oxybenzone free.
“Straight away we advised all
our suppliers we would not be
importing any products with
Oxybenzone, which included
CITC recycling bins
Leading the way with environmental products
sunscreens and some facial
products as well”.
Oxybenzone is an endocrine
disruptor that interferes with
the ecosystems in lagoons, in
particular the growth of coral.
Shannon said ideally the ban
on Oxybenzone would be
legislated so visitors would be
discouraged from bringing
products into the Cook Islands
containing the chemical,
resulting in confiscation and
possibly a fine.
“Just like when you come into
a country where you're not
allowed to bring in fruit and
vegetables; there would be
a bin offered to drop in the
banned items.
“And, because we're the biggest
importer, what we bring into
the country is sold to a lot
of other stores as well. So
whatever changes we make
filters down through the
small stores. That's one of
the big things for us; what we
do makes a difference to the
whole country,” said Shannon.
It is clear CITC engage in best
environmental practices when
they make purchase choices
for their retail and wholesale
businesses; each year adding
more to the list of
things they can do
to reduce the impact
on the environment,
predominantly from
imported products.
“This year we stopped
importing plastic
straws. So this year
was the last straw!”
beamed Gaye.
“And, in 2020 we will
no longer import single
use plastic bags. We
aim to be plastic bag
free!
“CITC really is
leading the way with this; it is
actually our corporate tagline,”
said Gaye.
“I think for anything to work
in the Cook Islands, you need
to have good direction. And
that's where we come from
as CITC, we've got good
direction and we can use that
direction to help shape the
future of the Cook Islands.
“We will continue to work
with the government (I sit
on the Waste Management
Committee), the local Te
Ipukarea Society, a nongovernment
organisation
dedicated to the health and
well being of the Cook Islands,
Rotary, and others who
approach us with worthwhile
initiatives to help sustain the
environment of the Cook
Islands into the future”.
Supporting Sustainability in the Cook Islands
No
single serve
polystyrene
food
containers
No
Phosphates
No
Oxybenzone
No
Plastic
Straws
Say NO
to Plastic
Bags
Continuing to minimise our impact on the environment