Belle PR has taken home two honours at this year’s Public Relations Institute of New Zealand (PRINZ) Awards, with its creative “Tech or Treat” campaign for Urban Miners, recognised for standout strategic thinking and public engagement on a budget.

The campaign, designed to raise awareness about electronic waste and the hidden value of discarded technology, cut through with a fresh, highly relatable approach to one of the country’s growing environmental challenges.

The recognition reflects the power of connecting complex issues to everyday behaviours.

E-waste can feel like a distant or technical problem, but the reality is it sits in all of our homes, drawers and offices. ‘Tech or Treat’ helped make that visible and gave people a reason to think differently about what they do with old devices.

Turning a “hidden problem” into a public conversation

New Zealand generates thousands of tonnes of electronic waste each year, yet public understanding of how to dispose of it responsibly, and the environmental impact of not doing so, remains limited.

Urban Miners, which specialises in recovering valuable materials from electronic waste, needed a campaign that would:

• Cut through public apathy

• Educate without overwhelming

• Drive behaviour change in a practical, memorable way

Belle PR’s response was “Tech or Treat”, a campaign that used a familiar cultural hook to spark curiosity, before delivering a deeper message about consumption, disposal and resource recovery.

The idea

At the heart of the campaign was a simple but powerful idea: everyday devices are made from valuable, finite materials, and what happens to them at the end of their life matters.

Using engaging, accessible content, Tech or Treat challenged people to think differently about the items they regularly upgrade, replace or throw away.

The campaign translated technical concepts into plain-language insights that resonated with everyday users.

Creative execution that cut through

Rather than relying solely on traditional awareness tactics, the campaign leaned into creative storytelling and behaviour-led prompts.

It worked because it:

• Made the invisible visible (what’s inside devices, and where they end up)

• Connected to everyday life (devices people use daily)

• Used a light, engaging tone to introduce a serious issue

• Gave audiences a clear next step - recycle responsibly

• Got attention - The horror of unnecessary waste going into landfill was the perfect topic of conversation for Halloween

The concept translated well across digital platforms, community engagement and stakeholder channels, creating both reach and depth.

Results that resonated

The campaign delivered strong engagement and succeeded in shifting how people think about e-waste, not just as rubbish, but as a resource.

PRINZ judges recognised the work for its:

• Strategic clarity

• Creative execution

• Tangible impact in raising awareness of e-waste

For Belle PR, the dual award win reinforces its growing reputation for delivering high-impact campaigns that balance creativity with substance.

A win for purposeful communication

The success of Tech or Treat highlights something broader about modern public relations. People don’t respond to messages that feel distant or abstract. They respond when you help them see their role in the story. That’s what this campaign did: it made the issue personal, practical and actionable.

As conversations around sustainability, waste and resource use continue to evolve, campaigns like Tech or Treat show how public relations can play a critical role in shaping public understanding, and ultimately, behaviour.