Fridays For Future Aotearoa, Te Upoko o te Ika (Wellington, New Zealand)

by Francesca Pouwer

A number of us from FFF took part in the rolling action of dancing cows making their way around the capital in protest of industrial agriculture and its effects on the environment, animal welfare and human health.

After that we went to give moral support to fellow rebels who had glued themselves to steps at Parliament grounds all night as part of the Te Tiriti demands for declarative democracy. The protesters said to NZ Herald: “Our aim was to draw attention to Te Tiriti-based climate assemblies, which we believe is one of the only ways to genuinely address the climate crisis without further ignoring colonisation, capitalism, imperialism.” Read the full article here:

We started off with a fun event: disco dancing in front of the Railway station at 8.30 am to the commuter crowd’s attention and it was shown live on Breakfast TV with John Campbell.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F7cm_fFisCaa7K2SNvofJzJwD8WHHMKx/view?usp=sharing

From then on the focus was on the major culprits responsible for industrial agriculture in Aotearoa: MPI, Fonterra and Pāmu (Landcorp Farming Ltd).

At all three locations we requested that a representative come down to meet with us but no one came out. At MPI we were actually told someone would meet us but after half an hour we realised it would not happen.  On leaving ,we ‘posted’ a ‘massage’  through the massive glass doors in an act of rebellion. ( Video by glass doors of MPI)

At Fronterra we entered the hall and despite being told there was no public access the cows went ahead with their dance to let it be  known they are on strike and have had enough of being live milk machines for Fronterra.

( video of dancing cows in hall Fronterra on XR wellington facebook)

The Pamu event stays with me the most because it brought home to me the extent of industrial farming here in NZ. XR had invited environmentalist Angus Robson along and he provided the aerial photographs for a mud and cowshit  display assembled at the doorstep of Pamu.

(Two photos from gallery)

Angus has been on a mission to expose the horrors of ‘winter grazing’ but really it is Mud Farming. 

Greenpeace Youtube Video on Mud Farming: https://youtu.be/9sJZgQ3yNTA

The worst thing is Pamu farms are government-owned assets. So while the government is making all sorts of regulations to reduce environmental harm and ultimately stock numbers, they do not lead by example on their own industrial  farms. 

https://fb.watch/937H8j-gh3/

https://fb.watch/937H8j-gh3/

Please sign the Greenpeace Petition ‘HEALTHY FARMING, NOT MUD FARMING’:https://petition.act.greenpeace.org.nz/agriculture-intensive-winter-grazing

While the Parliament Lawn indisposed, we are holding our Fridays For Future protests at a different site each week.

This Friday we are meeting outside the electorate office for the MP for Wellington Central (and Minister of Finance, Grant Robertson). The office is on the ground floor of 220 Willis Street (opposite Warehouse Stationery).

Let’s meet there at 12.30pm for our usual hour of protest.

We’ll have our flags and some signs, but bring your own sign if you like. Maybe on a theme most relevant to the Finance Minister. For example, about investing enough money into the Government’s climate policies.

See you there!

350 Aotearoa, Generation Zero and the Fossil Free State Sector Coalition are collectively hosting a series of climate justice potluck events.

The idea is that we can get together, share our mahi, ideas and see if there are overlaps, room for collaboration, and just have a general catch up and eat some tasty kai!

The first potluck will be held at:

• Aro Valley Community Hall in central Pōneke
• 6 pm – 8 pm
• Friday 25th February

What to bring

Bring potluck if you feel comfortable doing so. If you would prefer not to share food, feel free to bring something along for yourself to snack on.

The venue is vaccine pass mandated so please bring this along with you, and remember general COVID-19 precautions under the traffic
light system.

Agenda

6:30 pm	Karakia and karakia kai/ Welcome, grab some kai and discussion of general kaupapa of the group
6:45 pm	Check-in and share a bit about yourself and the organisation you are representing (if you are representing an org)
7:15 pm	Thoughts moving forward
7:30 pm onwards	Eat some more yum kai and meet fellow climate activists and organisers!

RSVP to Alana Kane (She/her) at alana@350.org.nz

Everyone is welcome so please share with your networks!

NOTE: this is not a Fridays for Future event – but some of us are attending and maybe you will too.

Because Parliament grounds were closed (and otherwise occupied), some of us regulars took our Fridays for Future protest online – from our workplace and from home. Nice selfies!

Marcia from Whanganui sent us a photo of their climate protest. It’s a pretty good turnout!

As for what’s going to happen next at Parliament, if the Lawn continues to unavailable, we have a few options. We could keep doing our protests online, decide on an alternative site for in-real-life protests, or maybe even pick a different site every week. What do you think?

This Friday we will not be at the Parliament Lawn – but don’t worry, we are still protesting the Government’s lack of urgent climate action. We’ll just be protesting online!

The Parliamentary grounds are currently closed due to the occupation by anti-vaccine mandate protesters. So, unless the situation changes before Friday morning we are protesting online, where ever we happen to be.

Please send us a selfie of you and your protest placard, and we’ll post it up on our website and social media!

“Cycling is climate action”, say Francesca and her husband Dolf. Combining their love of travel with a preference for cycling as a sustainable (and healthy) way to get around, these two are off on a tour of the South Island to see the sights and get people talking and thinking what they could do to reduce emissions and work toward a more sustainable future for our children and grandchildren.

The international Fridays For Future has set March 25 as a day to demand climate justice.

“Climate struggle is class struggle, for years, the ruling class, primarily through corporations and governments from the Global North dominated by affluent, white, heterosexual cis-males, have exercised their power, gained through colonialism, capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy and exploitation, to destroy the earth and its occupants with no remorse.

They deliberately sacrifice the Global South’s ecosystems and peoples for the sake of their so-called “development” and everlasting “economic growth”. Meanwhile, the working class is used as tools to build the very system that is destroying them. “(As quoted from the Fridays for Future website.)

Here in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand, our group will be protesting on the Parliament Front Lawn as usual. We’ll keep it simple, because of Omicron and Red. But we are thinking of doing more. Some ideas for additional activities include:

• chalking messages on the ground outside Parliament and inviting members of the public to join in
• having some picnic rugs on the grass to welcome anyone who just wants to relax and take in the atmosphere
• making new placards
• sending a letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern about why we still need to be here nagging her government after more than 2 years

What are your ideas?