Bay of Plenty residents will soon have access to an online platform designed to help communities report environmental problems and drive accountability.

One for Nature, a charitable trust led by environmental campaigners Angus Robson and Geoff Reid, has developed the app with nearly $30,000 in grants from BayTrust.

The platform will allow users to upload evidence of environmental issues, identify the responsible agencies and learn how to lobby effectively for change.

Angus Robson is one of the environmental campaigners behind One for Nature.

Robson, who works in heavy engineering, and Reid, a weed eradication specialist, have spent decades exposing environmental harm from animal welfare breaches to nitrate pollution and industrial runoff.

Their advocacy helped change national rules around intensive winter grazing and prompted the spending of millions of dollars to line effluent ponds on Bay of Plenty farms.

Robson said the app would put power into the hands of people who wanted to act but did not know how.

Geoff Reid, a weed eradication specialist, is also a leader of the One for Nature trust.

“We get lots of calls from people saying, ‘Can you do this, or can you do that?’ And our answer is, ‘No, we can’t do everything. But you can.’ This platform shows them how,” Robson said.

The app will allow users to pin photos, drone images or video footage to a map and connect with others working on similar issues.

It will also provide templates for letters and advice on who to contact, helping people share resources and collaborate.

Reid said several councils had expressed interest in the app, which could strengthen compliance and enforcement by making it easier for the public to report issues such as sediment runoff from building sites.

BayTrust has provided a $16,500 grant to fund three part-time roles to help manage the platform and provide practical advice.

One for Nature is now seeking private donors to complete development, with a launch planned for early 2026.

BayTrust chief executive Alastair Rhodes said the app would give residents the tools to act as kaitiaki for the local environment.

Geoff Ried and Angus Robson.

“This initiative gives people the practical advice and tools they need to address environmental problems when they see something of concern,” Rhodes said.

He said One for Nature had a strong track record, including producing the Toitū Te Whenua documentary in 2022, which triggered industry-wide reform among Bay of Plenty dairy farmers.

More information is available at baytrust.org.nz.