Whangārei man Chris Geerkens has reflected on his life as a fierce conservation advocate — 15 years since he was the country’s first official Good Sort.
Geerkens fostered a keen interest in cleaning up at age 7, and even penned a number of letters to paper editors about pollution issues in his community.
At the time, it saw him lead a march protesting against raw sewage being dumped in the Whangārei harbour.
Geerkens went back to the council many times about the issue after that, resulting in the Council investing in a better system.
“Now seeing what the results are 10 years later, we are really proud of that,” he told 1News.
He said “anywhere by the water is home for me”, a sentiment that led him to study naval architecture in both Auckland and Tasmania.
After graduating, he moved into a career as a boat designer 500km away in Perth, Western Australia.
“I always kind of knew that I’d be doing something in the maritime sector, whether it was naval architecture or something else boat related,” he said.
“I wouldn’t change anything that I’ve done over the last 15 years. It’s kind of all happened for a reason.”
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