Updated protest schedule 28/5/2023

Friday outside the Fonterra office at Midland Park
Date (12.30-1.30pm)Protest location
2 June 2023Midland Park
9 June 2023Parliament Lawn
16 June 2023Midland Park
23 June 2023Parliament Lawn
30 June 2023Midland Park
7 July 2023Parliament Lawn

If the weather’s looking iffy on a Parliament protest day, we decide on the morning whether to protest at Midland Park instead – which is more sheltered. If we change our location, we will update this post by mid-morning.

Another intergenerational climate strike! Friday 26 May

Climate groups around New Zealand are marching and protesting for climate justice again!

In Wellington, School Strike 4 Climate Wellington is organising this event (FFF only helping out a wee bit this time).

What are their demands?

Their demands are:

  • Reduce emissions now – 50% real reduction by 2030, without relying on offsets
  • Enable 100% transition to regenerative agriculture by 2030
  • Prioritise Te Tiriti-centred climate justice
  • Lower the voting age to 16

Actually, pretty much the same demands as we had for the 3 March climate strike!

Where and when

  • Friday, 26 May
  • Meet at Civic Square at 11am
  • March to Parliament soon after, arriving around noon

Find a strike elsewhere in New Zealand

Visit the SS4C NZ Facebook to find all the strike locations.

Is Welly weather conducive to cycling? Actually, yes.

There’s a perception that it’s too windy and wet to ride your bike regularly in Wellington. But cycling advocate Steve dived into NIWA’s Wellington weather stats from the last few decades. He found that – not only has the amount light wind been more than you’d expect, but it’s remained consistent into the present.

Steve made this infographic after studying NIWA’s weather data* for the year 2010, a typical year from Niwa’s data block of 1981 – 2010. During this 30 year period, the average wind speed was 18.9km per hour (categorised ‘Gentle’ on the Beaufort Wind Scale). The period from 2010 – 2023 has the ‘wind run’ (average wind speed) at 18.6kmh which shows the same conditions apply now.

A similar process was used to extract the rainfall data.

Readings from Centreport’s mast at Glasgow Wharf, and numerous clubs like the outdoor arts groups, corroborate these findings – you can’t use easels and watercolours in wind and rain!

*The information was from NIWA’s “Cliflo” data program, covering the period 1981-2023.

A late Earth Day event at Midland Park

Was a lovely day on Friday 28 April – compared to the wet and dreary previous Friday – and it was great to see those who turned up to support our event.

Read Julian’s news report about this event. (PDF, 1.4MB)

Nobel-prize winning scientist Martin Manning spoke about how he and his colleagues published research on climate change decades ago – only to be met with very little action from governments.

Patrick Geddes told us how the big gentailers (generators and retailers of electricity) put profit before people and planet, ensuring fossil fuels are always in the mix.

Caz spoke about the need to transition to cleaner transport options (like buses, trains, walking and cycling).

Francesca implored Fonterra to change their mindset on what they produce, that is both profitable and less damaging to our environment (clue: plant-based milk). Simon Power from Fonterra was invited to attend but did not turn up.

Brielle lead us in a singalong of climate protest songs, showcasing her beautiful voice and guitar-playing.

Watch a short YouTube video featuring one of the songs.

Watch all the FFF Earth Day event videos. (All videos courtesy of EcoKiwi.)

And the plant-based installation moved from the park to the foyer of the building housing Fonterra’s Wellington office.

Here are some photos from the day.

Wellington Earth Day event postponed to 28 April

The forecast for tomorrow (21 April) is for heavy rain around midday onwards. We want maximum enjoyment from the our early Earth Day event, so we’ve had to make the difficult decision to postpone it to Friday 28 April.

So we’re having a late Earth Day event instead – hope you can make it!

Tomorrow we’ll hold our usual Midland Park protest.

An early Earth Day in Pōneke Wellington!

On Friday 21 April at 12.30pm, Fridays for Future Te Upoko o Te Ika is doing something a little different.

Earth Day is Saturday, 22 April, so on Friday 21 April we will be outside the Fonterra office in Midland Park. We’ll be :

  • chalking messages to Fonterra
  • hosting at least one Nobel prize-winning speaker
  • displaying a plant-based installation and
  • having a climate song singalong.

Of course, we’ll bring our protest placards too!

3 March climate strike – thanking our supporters

Apart from our co-collaborators School Strike 4 Climate Whanganui-a-Tara , we want to thank the following organisations for their practical support. Without it, organising the march and rally would have much so much harder.

They provided high vis, marshals, road cones, PA gear, megaphones, meeting and storage spaces and more:

  • PSA
  • Peace Action Wellington
  • Twofiftyseven
  • VUWSA
  • WEGC
  • Pōneke Anti-Fascist Coalition

Also, the Police for keeping the marchers safe, and WCC for traffic management advice and support.

Last but not least, the individuals who volunteered with putting up posters, first aid, marshalling, and more!

3 March Climate Strike – in the media

Check out the strikes across NZ in the media!

I’m adding links to news item about the strike as I find them:

National candidate faces heckling, abuse at Parliament climate strike

School Strike 4 Climate live: Students across New Zealand march

Climate change: Young activists in Palmerston North want their voice heard

Auckland CBD traffic at standstill as School Strike 4 Climate changes course

Take five: What the climate strikers are demanding

Maybe e-bikes shouldn’t just be for the wealthy

School Strike 4 Climate: School students get ready to strike again over climate change

Climate strikes: Thousands march around New Zealand to demand action from government

School students set to protest for more action on climate change

School climate protesters march through Auckland

James Shaw says National hung candidate ‘out to dry’ at climate protest

Thousands join School Strike 4 Climate across NZ (lots of photos and a newsclip in this one)

Climate change protestors march in Napier demanding for the impact of global warming to be taken seriously

School Strike 4 Climate returns, some demands may already be in the works by Government

Senior Government minister Michael Wood hints at voting age referendum

School Strike 4 Climate live: Students across New Zealand march

Thousands of climate activists march nationwide, demand urgent action by NZ’s leaders

Classrooms to empty as Global Climate Strike gets underway across Aotearoa

Christchurch mayor tells school strikers his stance on climate changed after Cyclone Gabrielle

Good climate policy is good mental health policy too