Legacy of hope left by young conservationist

A passionate young conservationist devoted to making her community a better place has died.

Zoe Luffman, 18, from Rarangi died last week and a celebration of her life is due to be held at the ASB Theatre on Monday.

The Lincoln University student inspired many people to live more sustainably and leaves a legacy of hope for the future.

A much-loved daughter, the former Marlborough Girls’ College student was a dedicated advocate for the environment.

At just 10-years-old, she started to collect litter from the beach at Rarangi and encouraged others to do the same.

The annual beach cleans collected hundreds of kilos of rubbish over the years, plus recyclables.

Zoe was also a key member of Marlborough Girls’ College marine team who met with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to press for marine protection in the Marlborough Sounds.

Awarded the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Tidy Kiwi of the Month award in May last year, Zoe also volunteered a lot of her time pest trapping and was a dedicated member of Conservation Kids Picton.

The talented teen was also chosen out of hundreds of hopefuls to attend the Sir Peter Blake Youth Enviro-Leaders Forum, renamed BLAKE Inspire in 2019.

Speaking after her Tidy Kiwi award last year Zoe said it was important that people were aware of how special their community is.

“I think education around rubbish is really important to make people aware this is an issue and is causing a major impact on our environment.

“I do the beach clean ups because I believe Rarangi is a special place that deserves to be kept beautiful and clean for generations to enjoy as much I do.”

The Marlborough App initially ran an incorrect photo with this article. We express our deepest apologies for our genuine mistake.