July 20, 2026A team of 22 volunteers has returned from Stewart Island / Rakiura after five days clearing rubbish from some of the South Island’s most remote and exposed coastline, as part of the Southern Coastal Charitable Trust’s (SCCT) 2026 Rakiura Beach Clean-up, held from 7 to 11 July. This year’s team removed 13 tonnes of rubbish over the five days. Trust Chair Jeff Walker, who was part of the clean-up crew, said the team had collected noticeably more rubbish than during the Trust’s last Stewart Island clean-up in 2023, when 18 volunteers removed close to 10 tonnes of rubbish over five days. About Southern Coastal Charitable Trust:SCCT supports coastal clean-ups in Fiordland and Rakiura / Stewart Island, removing rubbish from some of the most isolated and exposed coastlines in New Zealand. Since 2001 the Trust has brought together volunteers, operators, industry supporters and sponsors to fund and deliver hands-on clean-up projects with real, visible results.