Raising awareness about environmental issues in the Cook Islands is one of the most important roles of Te Ipukarea Society (TIS).

This awareness covers the four focal areas of the Society’s work – biodiversity conservation, climate change, eco-sustainable development and youth in the environment. This really does cover so many issues ranging from industrial fishing and deep sea mining, sustainable tourism, waste management and many more.

To help us with this important work, we recently welcomed Paris Tutty to our office. He is the most recent addition to the team at Te Ipukarea Society. Over the next six months, Paris will be assisting the Society to develop our outward communications and showcase the diverse range of projects they develop and undertake for the environment and the community.

Originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, Paris is an amateur painter, surfer and rock climber. He has spent the last 12 years working in the creative industries in New Zealand and internationally. From working in advertising in Australia to costume design in China, Paris has been able to develop a full life cycle understanding of the creative and communications industries.

Paris’s passion for the environment comes from his experience working as an architectural designer in post-quake Christchurch where he focused on environmentally responsible housing. This work highlighted the need for sustainable building and environmental planning as well as the power of educating the community, he worked during the heyday of the post-quake rebuild for three years before moving into design and marketing.

The concept of clear and considered communication has underpinned Paris’s professional career and while working as a marketing manager for a small to medium enterprise (SME) retail company in NZ he was introduced to the Volunteer Service Abroad – Te Tūao Tāwāhi (VSA). This is New Zealand’s largest volunteer agency, connecting people between New Zealand and other countries in the Pacific region. Excited by the opportunity to develop the skills of TIS and his own, Paris jumped at the chance to make the move to the Cook Islands earlier in March, 2022.

VSA has been present in the Cook Islands since 1977 and operates under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Cook Islands government. Currently, there are 11 VSA volunteers on the island, with four more on the way in May. This will see VSA partnering with local partners across both government and non-government spaces, in the fields of health and wellbeing, education, the environment and climate change, food security, policy, and organisational development.

During his brief time on assignment thus far, Paris has already seen the vital role TIS has as a voice for the community and providing benefits for the Cook Islands people and environment. If you wish to learn more about Te Ipukarea Society or their current and upcoming projects you can visit their website www.tiscookislands.org or you can get in contact with Paris or the TIS team at +682 21144.

If you are interested in the work of VSA in the Cook Islands or have a project you would like to discuss, you can find more information at www.vsa.org.nz Or contact the program manager Tina Mackie at ctnpm@vsa.org.nz.