The XR Spring Rebellion is coming to a city near you. The rebels in charge bring a loaded programme of how to be a good Extinction Rebel in these challenging times. You can expect workshops, discussions, tours and sit-ins. Here is a list of activities to choose from:
Weekend Camp
Powhiri on Saturday 23/10 at 4pm
Workshops, trainings and discussions on Sunday 24/10
Tuesday 26/10 Draw the line on Fossil Fuels – including presenting Open Letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern; sign open letter here: https://www.climatejusticenow.nz/
Wednesday 27/10 Draw the line on Animal Exploitation
Take the opportunity to make your loving rebellious rage heard and seen in the public sphere.
Actions are planned to comply with Covid Level 2, with social distancing and limits on numbers.
Wear your mask! Bring your own drinking and eating tools!
Please note FFF TUI isn’t involved in organising any of the wonderful Spring Rebellion, we are simply standing in solidarity with the rebels across our beautiful motu. Get in touch with them directly via Facebook (link above) or email (see image above) if you have any questions. 💚✊
March with signs and picket at Parliament, for FFF Global Strike
Level 2 – wear masks and maintain social distancing
On the 24th of September, climate activists around the world will unite for a global strike based around #UprootTheSystem. But what does it exactly mean?
When we say Uproot The System, the climate movement puts an emphasis on the intersectionality of the climate crisis. The dominance of the Global North over MAPA (most affected people and areas) through different systems, such as: colonialism, discrimination, and climate injustice – and particularly the Global North’s outsized contribution to global emissions, is at the root of this crisis. Without listening to MAPA, embracing intersectionality, and uprooting this system, we have no hope of stopping the climate crisis. As the published narrative of the strike states, “Other socio-economic crises such as racism, sexism, ableism, class inequality, and more amplify the climate crisis and vice versa. It is not just a single issue, our different struggles and liberations are connected and tied to each other.”
21 October, Newtown: Prepare for Rise Up action in Taranaki
Our friends in Taranaki are organising a huge event in November. Here in Te Whanganui-a-Tara they are aided by Peace Action Wellington. Climate Justice Taranaki are highly respected campaigners and this event will be huge.
This from Valerie Morse of Peace Action.
I’m writing to invite all your members to a critically important climate justice action happening in Taranaki from 3-7 November.
The international climate negotiations (COP26) will be happening then, and we want to be clear that if they don’t take the actions required to keep temperature rise to 1.5, then we will.
We’re teaming up from across Aotearoa to hold four days of skill-sharing, wānanga, networking and non-violent direct actions with other concerned people from across Aotearoa. The 5th of November is the day colonial troops invaded Parihaka after 22 years of bloody war across the country for land and resources. A war which has never ended and links directly to ruling class oppression, white supremacy, extractivism and now global warming. The 6th of November is a Global Day of Action for climate justice.
Our demands are to:
End extraction of fossil fuels
Ban industrial fertiliser
End dairy exports, and
No false solutions (like hydrogen).
What will happen:
The gathering starts on Wednesday evening and ends on Sunday morning. [Note: accommodation will be on marae and there are several campgrounds nearby. More details will be posted soon.]
There will be opportunities for:
connecting to other groups/individuals to build the movement, and time to work with your local groups to plan (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)
Learning about the local history and its impacts (Thursday evening, all weekend)
Skill-sharing, learning about climate justice and activism from different groups
Making art and props (Friday)
Nonviolent direct action (Friday and Saturday)
Make sure you save the date and make plans to come! Car-pooling and transport arrangements can be organised. We are hoping to fundraise enough to cover the costs of food, accommodation at the marae, and. We request that participants pay $10/day to help cover costs.
Here is the facebook event, and Twitter and Instagram social media links to stay in the loop. Please share these with whanau and friends and update your profile pic from the event pic. There are also posters that can be printed off the website and distributed too if you want.
Gas, Coal, and Industrial Ag: they’re all in this together.
AUCKLAND PROTEST: Victoria Park, cnr Halsey & Fanshawe St, opposite Fonterra HQ at 109 Fanshawe St, at 3 pm on Friday 28 May.
WELLINGTON PROTEST: Midland Park, outside Fonterra’s office at 157 Lambton Quay, at 1 pm on Friday 28 May.
The Parliament protest will start and end a little early this week (12-1 pm) so that people can move to Midland Park and protest Fonterra, our nation’s biggest polluter. Our government has only required the most minimal, token-effort changes from Fonterra.
Since 1990, dairy cattle numbers have increased by 82%, while in Canterbury this expansion was almost tenfold. This despite a growing climate emergency and no solution to the problem of methane emissions.
We now face severe health and water quality issues around the nation, long-term damage to waterways, and heavy metal loading in topsoil, making it unfit for food crops.
Gas and Coal are extracted to dry milk and create fertilizer, while water tables are drained in Fonterra’s race to the bottom.
So this week, make it a little later and join the team as they make the 5-minute walk to Midland Park at 1 pm.
New Zealand now faces the risk of trade barriers in response to this abysmal environmental record. For more information click below:
This is the new flier we intend to share on the lawn. We’ll make others for specific things as they arrive, but this message deserves its own page. There are lots of people lunching at Parliament these days so we want them to know this.
Why we’re here.
There is a PDF version available for any wishing to print it.
Right now, we have an unprecedented opportunity and responsibility to create a new normal – one which creates a planet we would all feel proud to pass on to future generations, by holding people and the planet at its center. We must show our leaders that there is still momentum and that thousands of New Zealanders are here, ready to walk alongside our political leaders on this journey to the more beautiful Aotearoa that we know is possible.
School Strike For Climate NZ
Last week – on the steps.
We’ll be there, and we have a few signs to spare. From Civic Square the march will head to parliament. Come and join us.
Ecocide: The Earth needs a Lawyer.
Scottish environmentalist Polly Higgins chose to become a lawyer in her mission to resist the practices that are ending life around us. Her campaign is to see that Ecocide is recognised as a crime against humanity. Polly died in 2019 but the work she started, Stop Ecocide, is going strong.
Change the law, protect the Earth.
The rules of our world are laws, and they can be changed. Laws can restrict or they can enable. What matters is what they serve. Many of the laws in our world serve property – they are based on ownership. But imagine a law that has a higher moral authority… a law that puts people and planet first. Imagine a law that starts from first do no harm, that stops this dangerous game and takes us to a place of safety…
Polly Higgins, 2015
We’ve been contacted by the Stop Ecocide movement for help, so we’ll be adding their message and information to the things we bring to parliament. If you want to get more actively involved please get in touch: admin@fridaysforfuture.nz
We still have a little time left to complete our submissions. We’re
meeting at Aro Hall tomorrow at 10 am. We’ll use this time to share and
help each other with our personal submissions. We’ll also come up with a
plan for a shared submission.
We’ve heard through the grapevine that there are only 600 submissions
so far. That’s not a high number for something like this and we know
many will be created by the polluters.
Don’t be daunted by the size of this task. Yes, the report is big, but
you don’t have to address it all. That work has already been done, by
teams of lawyers, researchers, and advocates of all kinds. I’ll pop a
short list below, but there are plenty more and we can search them out
for ideas.
What matters is that you take a stand. In fact, the submissions by
ordinary people stand out more than you think. Your submissions don’t
need to be long either: better to focus on a shortlist of points, make
them personal, and get them to stand out.
I’m planning to be around there till 2 pm. That means there’s time
for people to drop by if they can’t make it at 10. Note there is no
particular schedule for this time. We’re just using the time to share
what we are doing and making sure everyone has what they need to make a
submission.
We should also produce a combined submission, so this is also an
opportunity to come up with a shortlist of points we’d like it to cover
and decide who will write it.
Hope you can make it, and more importantly, I hope you make a
submission. We’ll produce more stuff online with the little bit of time
left. One last thought on why your submission is important now:
A few of us have been watching the Hot Air
documentary. It gives a brief history of plans that came before this
one, along with the way they were sidelined by the polluters. This time,
it’s vital that the politicians know the people are watching and expect
better. The difference between this plan and the ones before it is you.
The draft for my own submission is here. Note that I WILL be making changes to it:
/It was easy in 1998 and 1989 to think that you could have a public
interest approach to dealing with greenhouse gases. Governments would
say we must get these emissions down, their populations would agree and
support that, and there would be no major lobby to block it./
I’m pleased to see the calibre of the CCC. I’m sure the plans they have
made improves on the ones that came before. Greenpeace, 350, the school
strikers and gen zero, will all be asking to raise your ambitions and I
agree with them.
My concern is that nothing in this report addresses that fact that every
plan before it was sabotaged. So much so that emissions more than
tripled since Simon Upton began the job in 1990.
And what is the point in another plan if it does not get to the core of
the problem: the government is still not prepared to act. Since 2015,
when [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGf4maDU7Ps][Hot Air]] was
released, we’ve had a Green Climate Change minister, along with some
timid reductions to mining. Also, in that time:
– 2,400 square km of Taranaki land was opened for exploration (Megan Woods, 2019)
– More gas peaker plants have been created (Mangorei in Taranaki, 2020)
– The Crown Minerals Act continues to require that the Minister for Energy promotes petroleum products
– The Environmental Protection Agency is still expected to pretend carbon emissions are not happening
– Plans for low carbon transport alternatives continue to be scrapped
– Plans for Hydrogen are so driven by polluters that they overlook the
of existence electric rail and suggest creating new markets by burning
coal
In the 90s Simon Upton brought the head of Carter Holt Harvery into his
house to join discussions about carbon taxing. The shepard attempting to
rationalise with the wolf. And the wolves are still in the house. In
the introduction to your report you acknowledge the ECNZ. Those of you
with ties to Motu know that it’s former CEO, John Carnegie, is the now
head of Pepanz, J. Under ECNZ he was already making bizarre defense for
oil companies. In his new role he is now is the lead actor in Terrence
Loomis’ /Predatory Delay Diaries/.
The most powerful industries all make their profits from artifically
cheap energy. It’s a crowded house and this seems impossible, but what
else is there? They won’t change, that much is surely clear by now.
Through these times our strikers have been starving on the lawn of
parliament. After over 400 days of protest they are about to face their
third winter. We remain unconvinced by the declarations. We know that
not all treaties are honoured.
I say this with the greatest respect for what you have done, and for the
support you have extended to the activist communities. You can’t watch
Hot Air without seeeing the cyclic nature of this moment. This is an
addiction, held tight by a dysfunctional relationship. Until that
changes, the plans themselves are irrelevant. If you don’t speak to the
predators directly, then you will find you have been coerced into
enabling them.
This Tuesday the School Strikers will come to parliament. Please come along and support them. We have a bunch of spare placards and flags in case you don’t manage to bring your own. We’ll also bring some spare cardboard and pens if you want to make one on the spot.
The big announcement you’ve all been waiting for! It’s go time whanau… get your placards out, prepare your demands, and we’ll see you on the 26th of January at 12:30pm to demand, real, meaningful climate action!
— School Strike 4 Climate NZ
21 January at Parliament
As ever, you can join us at parliament any Friday. James joined us last week and pointed out that 20 countries are phasing out fossil fuels, yet Aotearoa is not one of them.
Countries phasing out fossil fuels.
There’s no question: a declaration of emergency means nothing without action and we are way behind in Aotearoa. It’s clear that we need to keep pushing for change.
It’s been 18 months since Ollie first appeared on the lawn of parliament with the sign ‘Declare Climate Emergency Now’. Since then, climate strikers have been outside parliament for one day in every too.
Finally, it was declared. There were many speeches in parliament, and one that shook the walls came from Kiri Allan:
The declaration included resolutions to convert government fleets and thermal emissions away from coal. It’s a start.
But the bulk of coal emissions continue untouched, the plans for gas exploration, extraction and continued use go on, agricultural emissions were not mentioned, and we continue to import diesel and petrol vehicles are many times the rate of EVs.
That’s the surface of this problem: the nation’s obligations and a Treaty partner, and issues of equity that press on the daily lives of people, preventing them from taking action, are continuing.
So we’ll continue. Ollie’s original sign is no longer needed: it has been offered to Te Papa, and if it doesn’t wind up there it may go inside the beehive. It’s time for new signs.
Upcoming International Events:
These arrived to us from Fridays For Future international. Check them out and let us know if you participate:
Webinar, Understanding the Paris Agreement
December 9, Wednesday, CET 20:00, Webinar, Understanding the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, with Jean Pascal van Ypersele, former Vice President of IPCC. All welcome. Sign uphere. Information here.
Global Action, Let us all #Fightfor1point5
December
11, Friday, and December 12, Saturday,
Global
Action, Let us all #Fightfor1point5 . Live up to the Paris
Agreement.
There are so many amazing people putting time and effort in to some how make things better; in beautifully infinite ways, approaches, and interpretations. It’s been a very strange year, and you all deserve a party ! We have some epic live music lined up including local musician James Hart and a full ceilidh band! We also have an amazing team making pizzas- bring a pizza topping, bring whatever beverages you want, put away your worries for a night and come have an awesome time 🙂 All are welcome, the more the merrier- come celebrate with us! If you have anything you want to share on the night- e.g kai, a poem, a game, babysitting services, great – but also feel free to just show up as yourself ! (very keen to offer babysitting though so do get in touch if that is something you can offer!!) The hall is fully accessible- let me know if you need close parking and we can reserve it for you. We will have vegan and gluten free pizzas- dietaries beyond that please get in touch and we will make sure we have kai for you!
Where to next?
Of course the Fridays will continue as ever, but we will have a get together soon of the regulars to talk about things to do in the New Year.
Till then, and as ever, we’ll see you on the lawn.
It’s been 18 months. Since May 2019, there has been a climate striker at parliament for one day in every two. On most days there was a little band of people: sometimes only one, and sometimes thousands.
We stood in sunshine, and wind and rain. We shared food, and we went without it. We sang and talked and argued and hugged and made plans.
We kept going and we won’t stop now, because making a declaration is only the start. It has to be honoured.
Join us in the gallery on Wednesday from 2pm, as we witness the moment. You can make a booking by email
This Tuesday, 13th October will be the 100th day of constant vigils at the base of the Richard Seddon statue. Since Ollie began, 17 months ago, there have been strikers at parliament for one day in every two. That’s hundreds, perhaps thousands of conversations with the public about climate change, covering every opinion and point of view you can imagine.
The E Tu vigil will have its last day on Friday the 16th, the day before the election.
Of course, that is not the end of our little team. The weekly (12:30 to 13:30) gathering will continue and we’ll have some conversations about the next steps to take.
With that in mind, here are some to check out and get involved in:
Stop the Minerals Forum (13-14 October)
People are gathering in Hamilton this Monday to participate in this action. They plan to disrupt the Minerals Conference.
This is a coalition of climate justice and environmental groups around the Aotearoa dedicated to disrupting the conference.
“The main sponsor of this conference is Bathurst Resources, which is in the process of applying for consent to vastly increase a coal mine in Canterbury, despite having already breached a number of consents for its current mine. Fonterra and the dairy industry will be burning this coal, while they continue to claim their industry is sustainable, largely ignoring the obvious renewable alternatives. It’s time to stop digging up fossil fuels and make the switch,”
Talley’s deepwater fishing division bottom trawls the ocean, a practive that destroys thousands of tonnes of coral every year. These take centuries to grow and are vital habitats for marine life.
And ask around on Friday for the fliers. Activists have been helpfully adding this information to Talleys products.
#TellOnTalleys flier
Other ideas:
Between the Flags
Ice is melting faster than expect in Greenland and Antarctica. It’s pretty surreal to think that a fair amount of sea level rise is already locked in and that decisions made today can affect the timeframes and extent of that rise.
If there’s one thing weirder than the fact that this is happening, its that we’re not talking about it.
So lets try and share this surreal moment with the city. Between The Flags is the staging of Existential Life Guards, turning affected foot crossings into beaches.
Come to Parliament on Fridays or keep in touch with us to hear more about this action.
Dirty Laundry
People might imagine we’re making decent progress on climate change. We’re planting all those trees, we have a Zero Carbon Act and there was that Exploration Ban. But what if there’s some dirty laundry we haven’t seen?
Dirty Laundry exposes those stories using familiar items, letting people know that there are stains that can’t be removed with GreenWashing.
Polluting industries have us locked in fossil fuels in complex ways:
Legislation also forces the Minister for Energy to promote petroleum products.
It also prevents the Environmental Protection Agency from treating them as polluters.
Last year, our government opened massive areas inTaranaki up for exploration
2019 OfferEPA
Come and see us at parliament on Fridays to talk about the things you’d like to do about climate change,
