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On the Waterfront and The Front Lawn

Fridays for Future at the Great Big Waterfront Clean-up 28 Jan 2022

On Friday 28 January a break-away group from Fridays for Future signed up to the Great Big Waterfront Clean-up (organised by Museum of Wellington and Sustainable Coastlines).

Inorganic rubbish that is not disposed of properly (into a rubbish bag that is taken to the dump) often ends up in our seas, rivers, streams etc, and then either inside bird/fish stomachs or around their necks.

Armed with garden gloves, plus-size rubbish sacks and specially made “Fridays for Future” flaglets, we followed the instruction to go forth and pick up litter.

Earlier groups of rubbish retrievers had already gone ahead and filled their sacks with the big stuff. We got the low-lying junk clinging to bushes and hiding under piles of leaves – bits of polystyrene, cigarette butts galore, bottle caps, chocolate bar wrappers, clingfilm, unidentified bits of hard plastic, and a cute anxiety ring (that I will take home to clean and wear). All that squatting was quite the inner-thigh workout!

Early arrivals waiting for the rest of the group.

In the meantime, our presence on the Parliament Lawn continued as usual…

Holding the fort at the Parliament Lawn

I will leave you with a photo from the previous Friday, when an impressive family group visiting Wellington for the day joined us to show their support. It is always great to talk to – and pose with – anyone dropping by.

21 Jan 2022 – Joined by members of a Tongan family reunion
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Have your say on the political donation rules

The Ministry of Justice wants to hear your views about possible changes to the political donation rules in the Electoral Act 1993.

For example:

Should there be a cap on how much someone can donate to a political party?

Should political parties have to identify donors for donations less than $15,000?

Should businesses be able to donate?

More details are on the Ministry of Justice website.

Consultation is open until Tuesday, 25 January 2022.

In tthe meantime, we’ll be on the Parliament Lawn every Friday!
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Fridays for Future joins The Great Big Wellington Waterfront Clean-up 2022

On Friday 28 January, the Fridays for Future group is helping to clean up the Wellington waterfront. It will be a great way to get out in the community and raise our profile – and do something practical at the same time!

The clean-up is organised by the Museum of Wellington City and Sea, through Sustainable Coastlines.

Specifics:

  • Friday 28 January 2022
  • 12 noon – 2pm
  • Meet at Wellington Museum (3 Jervois Quay, Wellington)

You will need your Vaccine Pass. Children under 12 years old need to be accompanied by an adult.

Wear close-toed shoes and dress for sun/rain protection. Bring your own filled drink bottle. Gloves are provided, but if you have your own, please bring them.

You don’t have to be there for the whole two hours, but it’s best to get there for at least the first half hour, for the health and safety briefing.

Read all the details here

Note: if you would prefer to protest on the Parliament Lawn on Friday 28 Jan, that’s fine too. Some Fridays for Future protesters will be at the Parliament Lawn 12.30 – 1.30 as usual.

Now it’s summer we are protesting on the actual grass
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Post-COP26: Why Fridays for Future Won’t Go Away

With the end of COP 26 on 13 November, Glasgow seems to have been yet another missed opportunity to take decisive action and keep global temperature increases under 1.5C.

Climate scientists say that, based on concrete commitments before and during COP 26, Planet Earth could be affected by global temperature increases of 1.8C – 2.4C, leading to catastrophic impacts.

We are particularly concerned about: 

  1. the lack of binding commitments by richer nations to address loss and damage in poorer countries; and
  2. The acceptance of a phase-down rather than a phase-out of coal-powered energy generation.

Climate Action Tracker estimated the promises made at the Glasgow Summit would warm the planet by 2.7C and it rated Aotearoa New Zealand’s response to climate change as ‘Highly Insufficient”, among the worst, lumping us in with Australia and Japan. New Zealand even won a  Fossil Award on the penultimate day of COP26 (see https://www.newsroom.co.nz/cop26/pro-talks-nz-awarded-humiliating-fossil-status-at-cop26 

 A slow start, last minute targets and a 5 month delay to the implementation of carbon budgets under the Zero Carbon Act have been underlined by the Prime Minister’s failure to attend in Glasgow. It is also hard to see how Aotearoa will meet its commitment to methane reduction given its selective treatment of agricultural emissions. 

It seems to us that the Government is not getting the message that “Go Early Means Now”

To dive into the details of our last minute commitments, we recommend reading COP26: New Zealand’s new climate pledge is a step up, but not a ‘fair share’ by Robert McLachlan, Professor in Applied Mathematics, Massey University published by The Conversation.

So Fridays for Future Aotearoa NZ will continue our protests for climate justice outside Parliament House in Wellington every Friday from 12.30 – 1.30pm. We started our protests in May 2019 with a call for a Climate Emergency. This call was answered in December 2020 by the Government by declaring a nationwide Climate Emergency. The lack of meaningful climate action orchestrated by our Government – or how Michael E. Mann, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Earth System Science Centre at Penn State University calls it, – the Implementation Gap – is the reason why we continue protesting. Click the link below to hear the voices of  protesters who joined the Global Climate Strike earlier this year.

Voices at Parliament Lawn from last month’s Global Climate Strike #UprootTheSystem!
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Climate change doesn’t break for Christmas and neither will we

At the Lawn on 3 December 2021

We will continue to protest at the Parliament Lawn over the holiday period, including Christmas Eve.

So if you are in Wellington at this time, come and spend an hour with us. Take a break from all the consumption to stand for something real.

We will bring some signs but you are welcome to bring your own (we love seeing climate protest art). 

Every Friday at the Parliament Lawn, 12.30 – 1.30pm  

Just a note about Friday 17 December – there’s an anti-vax protest expected on Thursday 16th. If they return to Parliament Lawn on the Friday and are still there when we FFF protesters arrive, we will set up further along the Lawn. So look out for our FFF flags!

I’ll leave you with a list of climate-related podcasts from the Fridays for Future Action Network, here.  I’m especially looking forward to listening to Suzanne Simard talk about how trees communicate with other!

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‘Once You Know’ International Film Release and ‘Work That Reconnects’ Experience

'Once You Know' International Film Release and WTR Experience

We are big fans of Joanna Macy and The Work That Reconnects (WTR). The WTR network joined forces with award-winning film makers Emmanuel Cappellin and Anne-Marie Sangla to launch the documentary ‘Once You Know’.

Several of the registered WTR Network Facilitator Members will be hosting screenings of this moving film and facilitating post-screening WTR experiences to support us in processing the emotions the film stirs and help build resilience and solidarity. 

‘Inspired by the Work That Reconnects, Extinction Rebellion and Collapsology, this film is a deeply personal exploration of coming to terms with crisis, collapse and active hope in these troubling times.’

Work That Reconnects Network website (WTR)

So please follow their invitation to this special online event series, the last screening is on Monday, November 22nd (NZ Time).

Please note, registration comes with a minimum US$15 donation, which will support the filmmaker and the film production and distribution companies that have made this international screening possible, along with covering the cost to the WTR Network.

Book Tickets

We hope this excites you as much as it excites us.

Check screening times for NZ timezone.

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You’re invited to Imagining Food Futures (IFF) event

Invitation to IFF 'Imagining Food Futures'

A one-day workshop for creative rangatahi (that’s you) to come together and envision what
Te Whanganui-a-Tara’s food systems could look like by 2050 — the wilder and more
whimsical, the better!

When and Where?

Saturday,
20 Nov 2021
10 – 6pm
Innermost Gardens, Matairangi/Mt Victoria

We’ll also have:
– interactive installations
– delicious kai
– big fun!

There’ll be urban agriculture experts, artists, and speculative designers (future thinkers) there to guide the generation and communication of future food ideas. Decision-makers will arrive in the evening to hear about the day’s outcomes and meet our young changemakers over a BBQ futures feast produced by local chefs. 

The garden will be an in-context site for all of these groups of people to meet, listen, share, and potentially collaborate, moving ideas beyond this initial workshop. 

It’s shaping up to be a hugely impactful youth event. We’re looking for young people between the ages of 15 and 25 who are interested in: 

– community gardening and urban farming

– indigenous food sovereignty and climate action

– waste minimisation and creative reuse sustainability-focused cooking, foraging and mahinga kai

– eco architecture and urban planning (edible green spaces) storytelling for social change

Please RSVP via email to Alex alex@bgi.org.nz!

Please note FFF Aotearoa NZ isn’t involved in organising this event, we are simply standing in solidarity with BGI, Grow Space Wellington and The Sustainability Trust.

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Picnics for Future: Kai &Korero: Change of Venue

Picnics For Future – Sunday 21 November 12 noon-3pm at the Amphitheatre, Frank Kitts Park

In response to requests for a Fridays For Future event on the weekend, there will be a Picnics For Future!

Date : Sunday, 21 Nov 2021

Start time :12 noon

Finish time: due to the rain we have packed up early, at 1.30pm

Venue : For reasons beyond our control the picnic will now be at the Amphitheatre, Frank Kitts Park. Apologies for any inconvenience.

We are the people . We have a voice. We are the people. We have a choice!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJyvE-e5Njk

Bring your lunch and share kai & korero with people who want more action on climate justice . We will sing action songs and there will be chalk so we can leave our messages for the politicians at parliament.

IF YOU WISH WE CAN CHALK UP MESSAGES TO HOLD PARLIAMENT TO COP26 COMMITMENTS FOR PLANET AND PEOPLE

Climate activists on Parliament Steps Global Climate Strike September 2021

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-59155537https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-59155537

Be inspired by the thousands of Climate activist marching through the streets of Glasgow. We are the people. We have a voice.

Join our Picnic for Futures at Frank Kitts Park on 21 November. See you there!

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Rise Up For Climate Justice!

Taranaki is the ‘energy centre’ of Aotearoa and a major industrial dairy region.

Join Climate Justice Taranaki and a host of other social justice and climate groups for local and online actions during the COP26 international climate negotiations in November, to take direct action against major climate polluters and demand urgent, just transformation of government and big business.

Their demands are:

  • end extraction of fossil fuels;
  • ban industrial fertiliser;
  • end dairy exports; and
  • no false solutions (like hydrogen).

Due to the Covid-19 situation there will be an online webinar followed by local and online actions across the motu from 3-6 November. The national in-person event is postponed to Easter in early April 2022.

The two days of protest are:

  • 5 November: Parihaka Invasion Day – the day colonial troops invaded Parihaka after 21 years of bloody war across the country to take land and resources from Māori.
  • 6 November: International Day of Climate Action for COP26

Please check for updates on the Rise Up For Climate website.

Please note FFF TUI is not involved in organising this event, we are simply standing in solidarity with Climate Justice Taranaki.