Kia ora Wellington friends and rebels.
Wellington City Council Declare Climate Emergency
The awesome news this week was Wellington City Council declaring a climate and ecological emergency, as it adopted a plan to become a zero-carbon capital. At the council meeting, both School Strikers and XR challenged the council to back up their words with urgent action. XR spokesperson, marine ecologist Dr Sea Rottman pointed out that the council’s plan to extend the airport runway is at complete odds with a carbon-free capital. Admitting there’s a climate emergency is a fantastic first step – but still lots of work to do there.
(Climate emergency declared at WCC on 20 June. XR’s Dr Sea is on the left with the gorgeous blue-green hair.)
How does Extinction Rebellion work in Wellington?
This is our first newsletter in a while. If you’re new to XR (as many of us are), or you haven’t had a chance to get in touch yet, you might be wondering how things work, how to get involved and who we are in XR Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington?
We’re ordinary people – parents, grandparents, community workers, IT geeks, students, volunteers, teachers, scientists, builders, office workers. Many of us have never been in a protest or an activist group in our lives, but we’ve become too worried about the climate and ecological emergency to continue to do nothing. Action beats despair, and so we stand together. We’re using non-violent direct action, creativity, fun, a little bit of peaceful civil disobedience and minor disruption to raise awareness of this impending catastrophe, how short time is and to demand urgent action.
If you’re new or you want to learn more, there’ll be a chance to get together in the next two to three weeks, meet people, ask questions, find out what’s going on and how you might want to be involved. We’ll email and Facebook the details soon. Watch this space.
We also meet every two weeks 11am Saturdays at Stillwaters Community, 327 Willis Street, Te Aro to plan and organise.
Upcoming Actions and Events
So what’s happening next? There’s some good stuff coming up this week – both with XR as well as our friends and sibling organisations. Let’s back each other. The change we want requires a movement of movements!
Protest at Parliament
Monday 24 June and Saturday 29 June, 12PM
You may have heard of Ollie Langridge (@thathumbleman on Facebook , Instagram, and Twitter) – he’s a Dad of six and business CEO, worried for his kids’ future, who’s staying put on Parliament lawn all day every day until NZ central government declares a climate emergency. Our awesome rebel Caz has organised two dance events on Parliament lawn on Monday 24 June and Saturday 29 June for XR to support Ollie. Turn up wearing green and white just before noon, and join a simple, symbolic dance to demand Government declare a climate emergency now. Check out the moves on Facebook or pick it up as you go.
Going forward, we want to support Ollie all we can so if you’ve got an hour or day to spend on something that matters, head to Parliament lawn. Show our politicians that Ollie isn’t the only one – there’s a lot of us who want a livable planet for the future. He’s super nice, and you’ll meet a few other XR people there too, especially on Fridays.
350 Wellington Kiwibank Waiting Room Action
Monday 24 June from 12.30 to 1pm
On Monday 24 June from 12.30 to 1pm, 350 Wellington has organised a Kiwibank Waiting Room action to as part of its Fossil Free Banks campaign. . The aim is to encourage Kiwibank to get moving on its fossil free policy. Queue up, ask a teller when the policy is coming, then sit down and wait. We need a banking option that guarantees our money will never be funnelled into coal, oil and gas.
City Council Climate Declaration
Wednesday 26 June, 5:30PM
If you’re a Porirua local, your City Council is considering an Action Station petition calling for them to declare a climate emergency on Wed 26 June at 5.30pm. To put pressure on the council, they need Porirua people to sign the petition and go to the Porirua City Council climate emergency meeting.
Soup, Science and Submissions on the Zero Carbon Bill
Wednesday 26 June, 5:30PM
At 5.30pm on Wednesday 26 June, come to Wesley Church, Taranaki St. Hear from climate change scientist and communicator Professor James Renwick on why your submissions to the bill are so important, and Rev Motekiai Fakatou on climate change and faith. It’s a public meeting – you can ask questions and get support to draft a submission. (Submissions on the Zero Carbon Bill are due 16 July.)
Hutt Council Climate Declaration
Thursday 27 June, 6pm
A climate emergency declaration for the Hutt is on the table for the Hutt City Council on Thursday 27 June, 6pm. Some of the School Strikers will be speaking and others can address the Council too. It’d be great if as many local people as possible come to show their support for the SS4C students and the declaration.
For more actions and events, you can also check out Environmental Events in Wellington.
In coming weeks and months
There’s an XR Zero Carbon Bill submissions party in the pipeline, films, postering and plans afoot to let people know that Wellington may be the coolest little Capital City, but we’re also a coal little Capital. Plus, we’re sorting out what we’ll do in September and October for the next wave of international actions and strikes, plus a nationwide ‘Draw the Line’ campaign focused on local governments.
Stay tuned.
In love and outrage.
